Carnation Dairies Spokane

The property was used as a garage by Inland Northwest and Carnation dairies, and later for storage and parking after the structures were demolished and the City of Spokane acquired it.

Soil and perched groundwater contamination occurred due to leaks from above- and underground petroleum storage tanks at the garage. In 1989, releases from the underground tanks were discovered and 100 cubic yards of contaminated soil were excavated and stockpiled to allow contamination to volatilize. The building was demolished in 1999.

In 2013, Ecology ranked this site a 5 and added it to the Hazardous Sites List (HSL) due to lead, cadmium, and diesel contamination in soil. The HSL includes all contaminated sites that have had their hazard ranked relative to other known contaminated sites in Washington. Sites are ranked on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 presenting the highest risk. Only the diesel contamination was related to the dairies’ operations. The lead and cadmium were from former railroad activities at the Riverfront Park site and will be addressed during that cleanup.

In 2019, another 74.5 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil related to the aboveground tank were disposed off-site, and soil was resampled as part of the city's The Podium redevelopment project. Results showed contamination was below levels requiring further cleanup. In 2020, Ecology issued its no further action opinion and removed the site from the HSL.