The Port of Vancouver USA has made great progress in our efforts to clean up pollution that was released decades ago by a company that once occupied what is now port property. Cleanup has progressed so much that earlier this year, we were able to decommission 35 groundwater observation wells in Fruit Valley. Late last month, we started the process to remove large, highly specialized cleanup equipment from Cadet Manufacturing.

The equipment consists of a series of pipes, ventilated enclosures and large metal vessels. It was designed to treat contaminated soil through two processes: soil vapor extraction (SVE) and air sparging. These processes remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from soil above and below the water table. SVE uses vacuum technology to remove VOCs from the soil above the water table, while air sparging pumps air into the ground to remove VOCs from the soil below the water table.

The highly specialized cleanup equipment took up nearly 60 feet of property at Cadet Manufacturing

Installed in 2003, the cleanup equipment took up about sixty feet of property in Cadet’s employee parking area. Its removal allows for more parking for employees and vendors.

There is still work to be done, and we will continue monitoring cleanup efforts and working with the Washington State Department of Ecology to ensure our groundwater and nearby aquifers are protected now and in the future.

Detailed information, including test results, plans of action and history, can be found on Ecology’s website.