Hexcel Corp Structures

Last updated October 2024

We are continuing to monitor the impacted groundwater and cleanup activities at the facility.

A public comment period ran from August 26 - September 27, 2024, for corrective action cleanup activities. We received one comment that did not result in a significant change to the documents. The remedial investigation, feasibility study, cleanup action plan, consent decree and State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination of Non-significance are now final.

BSB Diversified (BSB) is the name of a cleanup site with three separate properties: BSB; J.H. Carr & Sons, Inc.; and, Hexcel Corporation Kent-Plant. This comment period is for cleanup activities for the Hexcel property only.

Hexcel is an industrial facility. Historically, a metal finishing and electroplating plant operated at the site. We require Hexcel to monitor groundwater to ensure that the current cleanup method is working.

Contamination on the property varies by location, and includes a chlorinated solvent called vinyl chloride. 

The groundwater under parts of Hexcel is contaminated with volatile organic compounds from the breakdown of a solvent degreaser called trichloroethene (TCE), The breakdown products include vinyl chloride.  TCE was used in the maintenance and operation of a former metal plating operation at the Hexel facility's location.

Groundwater contamination

The major groundwater contamination likely originated from the TCE spilled or leaked at the BSB site. A soil-bentonite slurry wall that surrounds the BSB property and keeps the contaminated groundwater from leaving the BSB site. Historically, there were low concentrations TCE were detected at the Hexcel site. Today only volatile organic compounds that are breakdown products of TCE are detected at the Hexcel site.

Groundwater contamination likely came from a chemical degreaser called trichloroethylene (TCE) that spilled at the BSB site from the former metal plating operation. Under parts of BSB, the groundwater is contaminated with:

• Trichloroethylene (also known as trichloroethene or TCE)
• Volatile organic compounds from the breakdown of TCE, including vinyl chloride

The contaminated groundwater is currently contained behind a clay-soil barrier within the entire perimeter of the BSB property.  This barrier keeps the contaminated groundwater from leaving the BSB site. Historically, low concentrations of TCE were detected at the Hexcel site. Today only volatile organic compounds that are breakdown products of TCE are detected at the Hexcel site.

Hexcel monitors groundwater to ensure that the contaminants are breaking down through a cleanup method called enhanced in-situ (in place) bioremediation.  To speed up that process, Hexcel is injecting a non-toxic food with the same bacteria that naturally lives at the site.  This food feeds the bacteria and enables the population of bacteria to grow. The bacteria slowly breaks down the chemical contamination in the groundwater.  We oversee and review the results of these cleanup activities to ensure they are working.