Fruit Valley terminal site to be cleaned up

Roughly 1,000 feet north of the terminal, Clark Public Utilities is building a well to supply drinking water nearby that will be in use as soon as later this year. According to a draft cleanup plan, there will be means to prevent contaminated groundwater from migrating toward the drinking water supply.

Though NuStar didn’t purchase the terminal site until 2003, it will be responsible for cleaning the polluted soil. NuStar spokesperson Chris Cho said the company has conducted multiple remedial investigations and implemented a regular groundwater monitoring program since it assumed ownership of the property.

The Department of Ecology requested for NuStar to install additional groundwater monitoring equipment, remove contaminated soil, and design and install a groundwater recirculation system. NuStar will also create a soil management plan to observe how the Earth breaks down petroleum over time to components that aren’t hazardous.

NuStar expects to implement the Department of Ecology’s cleanup plan later this year, Cho said.

Once cleanup recommendations are complete, NuStar will file an environmental agreement with Clark County that could implement controls to prevent future risks to the cleanup. The Department of Ecology will monitor the site’s conditions every five years while the county covenant is in place.

A public comment period for NuStar Annex Terminal Site cleanup plans will remain open through March 10. Respective documents for the cleanup can be found at the Department of Ecology’s site page, apps.ecology.wa.gov/cleanupsearch/site/568, or in person at Vancouver Community Library, 901 C St.

Comments can be submitted through tcp.ecology.commentinput.com/?id=sCWet or email to Department of Ecology site manager Andrew Smith, andrew.smith@ecy.wa.gov.