From 1961 to 1980, General Electric ran a transformer service shop on a 5-acre property in Spokane, Washington. Workers cleaned and repaired transformers using oils that contained polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, a toxic chemical banned in 1979. PCB-contaminated oils leaked into a dry well during steam cleaning, spreading contamination through the soil, groundwater, and sludge. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List, the federal Superfund cleanup roster, in October 1989.
Thirty-three contaminants have been identified at the site. Soil contains metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, and zinc, along with organic chemicals including benzene, PCBs, tetrachloroethene, and trichloroethene. Groundwater holds benzene, lead, PCBs, tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, xylene, zinc, and other compounds.
The Washington Department of Ecology led the cleanup. GE demolished buildings and removed underground tanks starting in 1991. The main remedy, selected in a March 1993 Record of Decision, used in-situ vitrification, a process that heats soil to lock contaminants in place. Some contaminated soil was also removed for off-site disposal. Two modifications updated the remedy in 1996 and 1998, with the 1998 change adding an engineered cap and bottom liner. Construction ran from December 1996 and finished in March 1999. Sources differ on when cleanup actions as a whole were completed, with one source citing 1991 and another citing the end of 1998, so that detail is noted as stated in each.
Long-term protections now include an asphalt cap, fencing, groundwater monitoring, and restrictive covenants recorded on the land title. EPA has determined that human exposure is under control across the entire site and that contaminated groundwater migration has been stabilized. The site achieved ready-for-anticipated-use status in September 2007. The Washington Department of Ecology conducts five-year reviews, with the most recent completed in 2022 confirming the cleanup continues to protect public health and the environment. As of December 2024, one business operating on the property employed five people and generated about $34,180 in annual sales.
Community members with questions can contact the Remedial Project Manager or the Community Involvement Coordinator. Site records are available for public review at the Washington Department of Ecology Eastern Region office at 4601 Monroe Street, Suite 202, in Spokane.
