UNION GAP – 

A proposed agreement between the Washington Department of Ecology and the U.S Army provides a plan for cleaning up legacy contamination at the Yakima Training Center near Selah, Wash.

Since 1941, operations at the sprawling facility resulted in multiple releases to soil and groundwater from historical military and maintenance activities. These include, but are not limited to, disposal of ordnance and explosives and unneeded or outdated ammunition, lead-acid batteries, and petroleum-based fuels and solvents.

The draft agreement proposed in the form of an administrative order is available for public review and comment through Sept. 16, 2020. Officials will take comments into consideration before finalizing the plan.

Over the last 25 years, the Army has cleaned up 68 waste sites and areas of concern at the 327,231-acre training center that require no further cleanup action under state and federal regulations.

There are still 21 areas at the training center that either do not meet soil or groundwater cleanup standards, or need further investigation. These include site specific cleanup plans for munition storage areas, pesticide handling areas, vehicle repair shops, various landfills and burn pits, and hazardous assessments of various underground storage tank areas and fuel centers, and buildings.

Supporting documents for review and comment are available online. For questions contact janelle.anderson@ecy.wa.gov, 425-301-6454. Submit written comments to: https://bit.ly/ArmyYakimaEComments.