Yakima Plating Company ran an electroplating operation on a 1-acre lot in Yakima, Washington, from the early 1960s until 1990. The company plated car bumpers and other metal objects, then discharged wastewater containing nickel, cadmium, and chromium into an on-site drain field. That practice contaminated both the soil beneath the site and the surrounding groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989, after detecting contaminants in groundwater in 1986.
EPA identified 29 contaminants of concern at the site. Heavy metals found in soil, groundwater, sludge, and liquid waste include antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, chromium(VI), cobalt, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, and zinc. Cyanide was also detected in soil and sludge. Pesticides found at the site include dieldrin, endosulfan sulfate, methoxychlor, and several DDT compounds. All contamination was grouped under one operable unit, which is the designated area for cleanup actions.
EPA and the Washington Department of Ecology carried out cleanup work between June and September 1992. Workers removed liquids and sludges from tanks for off-site hazardous waste disposal, decontaminated and abandoned underground tanks, and excavated contaminated soils for disposal at a permitted hazardous waste landfill. The cleanup plan also included institutional controls to limit exposure to any remaining contaminated soils under the original building, along with groundwater monitoring. By April 1994, EPA revised the plan to reduce long-term monitoring requirements. EPA and the Washington Department of Ecology then determined the remedy was protective of public health and the environment. EPA deleted the site from the NPL in August 1994 and determined that further remedial action, institutional controls, and Five-Year Reviews were not necessary.
Human exposure is currently under control. The site has completed physical construction of its cleanup and achieved all cleanup goals for current and reasonably anticipated future land uses. An automobile painting and body works facility now operates on the property. As of December 2024, that business employs 10 people and generates an estimated $471,230 in annual sales revenue.
Community members who want to learn more can review site documents through EPA's Superfund records system, which includes two key documents and two publicly available documents related to Yakima Plating Co.
