Cleaning Up: Welcome to ‘the Neighborhood’ – Part 2

Last week, we shared the new What’s In My Neighborhood mapping tool that allows users to search for polluted properties across Washington state.

We received a variety of responses via Facebook, some applauding Ecology’s efforts. Others were understandably alarmed to see dots sprinkling the map around their homes and workplaces.

Don't forget to check the legend!

So let’s talk about what those dots mean and how Ecology goes about enacting Washington’s cleanup law, the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA). While those 12,300 dots may seem overwhelming, don’t forget that almost half – the green ones – are already cleaned up!

Most sites pose little immediate risk to people living near them. In many cases, sites in neighborhoods are old gas stations, home heating-oil tanks, and not big industrial facilities.

MTCA basics

In 1988, voters passed a citizens’ initiative that created MTCA. Part of the act is a tax on hazardous substances such as petroleum products, pesticides, and other chemicals.

Money generated by the hazardous substance tax not only helps fund cleanup of contaminated sites, it also funds state and local government programs that protect the environment and people from threats posed by toxic chemicals. Those programs include controlling sources of toxics, such as polluted stormwater runoff. Prevention is more efficient than cleanup, so focusing some funding there is a proactive way to curb future cleanup costs.

Important cleanup principles

• When the threat is immediate, Ecology takes action before going through the MTCA process (see the cleanup process flowchart below)
• The polluters pay for cleanup, unless they are financially unable or cannot be located – this is where the hazardous substance tax kicks in
• MTCA requires that the public be informed about contaminated sites and given the opportunity to participate in cleanup decisions – the What’s In My Neighborhood tool, though not required by law, is another way Ecology is sharing information and encouraging input
• Because Ecology staff and funds are limited, cleanup sites are prioritized by the risk they pose to people and the environment

The cleanup process

Some flowchart highlights:

• A lengthy part of the process (#5) involves investigating a site to discover how much contamination is there and everywhere it is located. Then we explore cleanup options. On average, this process takes 3 to 4 years, which can vary depending on how complex the site is. This sounds like a long time, but we can’t come up with a cleanup solution without understanding the problem.
• If all seven steps are done sequentially, it can take a site 11–12 years to be cleaned up. However, not all sites go through all the steps, and steps can overlap.

We’re here to help and want your feedback

The Help menu provides quick assistance with navigating the Neighborhood, and if you have questions, suggestions, or find the tool not working, please contact Ecology at TCPWebmail@ecy.wa.gov.

By Erika Bronson, public involvement, Toxics Cleanup Program

Cleaning Up: Welcome to 'the Neighborhood'!

Polluted properties dot Washington's landscape. Literally.

Each dot represents a contaminated site in the state.

More than 12,300 toxic sites have been identified in the state -- and those are just the ones we know about right now. More are reported to us each year, even as others are cleaned up. At this point, just over half of them are considered to be “cleaned up.” But there is still a long way to go.

Search for cleanup sites near you

So do you ever wonder if one -- or more -- of those sites could be next door to your residence or workplace? Or maybe close to the local school or places where you do business?

If such thoughts have crossed your mind, search our new What's In My Neighborhood mapping tool to find contaminated sites around you. Instructions are found by clicking the "help" button on the left side of the web page.

Let's use Ecology's headquarters as an example. The building is located at 300 Desmond Drive SE in Lacey. So we type in that address to search for cleanup sites within 1 mile of the building and we get 13 sites.

Scrolling down the left side shows that many of those sites are "cleaned up." More information may be available on individual sites by clicking on the site name.

You can do the same thing with your home, your workplace, local schools, and other locations. You just need a device with internet access and a few minutes.

The "What's In My Neighborhood" mapping tool shows 13 cleanup sites within 1 mile of Ecology's Lacey building.

Tell us what you think

The "Neighborhood" tool is easy to use, though it's still a work in progress -- information on some of the smaller, less-contaminated sites is not as plentiful as information on more complex sites. We intend to develop and add more information, and we welcome your feedback.

If you have questions, suggestions for improvement, or run into technical issues, please email TCPWebmail@ecy.wa.gov.

By Erika Bronson, public involvement, Toxics Cleanup Program

New Hanford Display at Richland Public Library

by Heather John, education & community outreach specialist, Nuclear Waste Program

As a new hire to Ecology’s public involvement team, I was certainly excited to get my feet wet in the education outreach pool. But not being a native to Tri-Cities, I definitely had a lot to learn about Hanford before I could start finding creative ways to teach others. Everything from local history and legends to the science of radioactivity and the history of the Cold War was on my agenda. Because I was new to all of this, I thought the best method to learn was to start from the beginning and collect all the facts I could.