Carborundum Co

Environmental cleanup is complete at the site and the third periodic review shows the cleanup work remains effective in protecting the health of people and the environment.

Some contamination was left at the site. In 1998, two environmental covenants were filed for the site. One covenant is for the former plant area and the second covenant is for the former pond area. With the covenants in place, Ecology periodically reviews conditions about every five years to ensure continued long-term effectiveness of the cleanup action.

Ecology visited the site on July 14, 2021. The surface cover of asphalt, concrete, engineered cap, and building structures are in excellent condition and continue to prevent exposure by blocking people from touching or accidently consuming contaminated soil. The covenants prevent extraction of groundwater for drinking.

From October 6 to November 7, 2022, Ecology held a comment period to give the public an opportunity to comment on conditions at the site. No comments were received during the comment period and Ecology finalized the third periodic review report.

Third Periodic Review Report Final.

The Carborundum Co. site is located at 2100 West 26th Avenue in Vancouver. The site consists of approximately 34 acres within the Port of Vancouver.

The Carborundum Company originally developed the property in 1949. The plant manufactured silicon carbide, an abrasive chemical used in a variety of industrial and commercial processes. In 1982, the facility closed and the port purchased the property.   

The port uses the site for industrial purposes, primarily for storing equipment and for goods awaiting transport.

From 1991 to 1992, the port demolished the former Carborundum plant. The plant area is about 13 acres. During demolition, contractors found a black substance mixed in with demolition debris. 

The port halted demolition when they found that the debris was contaminated with poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and carcinogenic PAHs (cPAHs).

About 16,200 tons of contaminated soil were excavated and brought to a treatment facility, where it was treated to remove cPAHs. After treatment, about 8,100 tons (half) of the soil was returned to the site for backfilling. The other half was transported to a landfill for use as cover material.

Carborundum disposed of about 65,000 tons of baghouse dust that was made into a slurry and placed it into two ponds at the site under a permit. The pond area is about 8 acres. In 1991, Ecology added the pond to the Hazardous Sites List because metals had been found in groundwater samples and drinking water wells were located near the site.

From 1992 to 1993, the port placed an engineered fill over the area as part of constructing a parking lot. The engineered fill consisted of 12 inches of sand covered by 8 to 18 inches of sandy silt, 4 inches of sand and gravel, and about 3 inches of crushed rock. The site was graded to provide drainage from the cap. In 2007 and 2009, Ecology approved the breaching and restoration of the cap as part of improvement projects by the port. 

Concentrations of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cPAHs) greater than unrestricted (Method A) cleanup levels remain in soil at the site.  The engineered cap and asphalt covering the contaminated soil prevent contact with the contamination.

Arsenic concentrations greater than the drinking water standard remain in shallow groundwater at the site.  In 1998, environmental covenants were recorded for the plant and the pond areas that prevent removal of groundwater for drinking. 

The two convenants serve to:

• Restrict the property for industrial use.
• Notify future property owners of contamination that remains at the site.
• Prevent soil disturbance and exposure to contamination.
• Prohibit extraction of groundwater for drinking.

The port is responsible for inspecting the site to ensure that the caps remain in good condition.

In 1998, with the environmental covenants in place, we determined no further cleanup action was required.

For cleanup sites with an environmental covenant, we review cleanups at least every five years to make sure they continue to protect human health and the environment.