Ecology, King County join forces to help prevent possible flood pollution from auto wrecking yard

The Washington State Department of Ecology and King County are taking proactive steps to help prevent toxic material from escaping the site of an old Kent auto wrecking yard in the event of serious Green River flooding.

With the former site of Japanese Auto Wrecking just 50 yards from the river at South 262nd St. in Kent, the agencies are spending roughly $83,000 to prevent the spread of pollutants from heavily contaminated materials to surrounding properties that include agricultural lands.

The money paid for installation of a barrier of “super sacks,” provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, between the wrecking yards and adjacent agricultural lands, along with a pollutant absorbing “boom” adjacent the barrier. Construction of the barrier was completed in November.

The agencies say the protection is needed if river flows reach an extraordinary flood stage, such as 13,600 cubic feet per second at the Auburn gage: a scenario that has a one in 25 chance of occurring over the next several years according to the Corps. King County and the Corps will monitor the protection measures and determine whether additional measures are warranted.

King County is contributing roughly $23,200 in emergency appropriations and the state has awarded a $60,000 grant from Ecology’s Flood Control Assistance Account Program.

The area includes a site formerly occupied by Japanese Auto Wrecking. The property has had multiple investigations, sampling efforts, and enforcement actions by local, state, and federal officials due to the improper disposal of hazardous waste that has contaminated the site’s soils and groundwater. The site has been under an enforced cleanup order from the EPA and is currently under Ecology’s Voluntary Cleanup Program.

According to the agencies, without this installation, floodwater could carry pollution to more than 1,500 acres of nearby land, including farms that contribute to local farmers markets.

Information about regional efforts to prepare for Green River flooding is available online at: www.kingcounty.gov/floodplans. Learn more about how Ecology addresses flood issues at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/floods/index.html.

Related information

Flood Preparedness

What Does Ecology Do During A Flood? (External link)

Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County

King County Water and Land Resources