Cleanup of a Former Gas Station

The City of Yakima and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) successfully partnered to implement a cleanup plan that has taken a vacant gasoline station to a property poised for development.

MFA consulted on the cleanup project to review existing site environmental data; develop an interim remedial action design consistent with the Ecology-drafted cleanup action plan; assist the city with bid package preparation, advertisement, and award; and oversee remedial action implementation and reporting.

The interim remedial action included:

• Collaboration with the City of Yakima and Ecology to engage team members in active discussion of the project’s scope and effectively move project tasks forward
• Hazardous-material abatement and demolition of the existing convenience store
• Development of a conceptual site model and geologic cross sections to provide a path forward for future decision making
• Excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated soil, backfill of the excavation, and completion of site restoration
• Application of bioremediation compounds to enable in situ treatment of contamination remaining in the underlying groundwater
• Installation of groundwater monitoring wells

In 2019, MFA utilized high resolution characterization at the site. This cutting-edge technology allowed us to better understand the condition of contaminated soil through real-time, rapid, and high-density data collection, supporting faster and more effective site cleanup.

The effectiveness of the remedial action is continually monitored. The property is now positioned for purchase and redevelopment. MFA’s assistance on the project resulted in a successful partnership between the City of Yakima and Ecology to implement a cleanup plan removal of contaminated soils and placement of backfill to aid the breakdown of chemicals in groundwater. As a result, a formerly vacant site is now prepared to become a community asset through redevelopment.