Tulalip Landfill to be Cleansed
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A U.S. EPA project manager has said that a September 11 settlement filed in federal court will
allow cleanup work to begin next spring on a long-abandoned landfill in the Tulalip Indian
Reservation.
As much as 4-million tons of commercial--and at the time, legal--waste were barged from Seattle to the site on Possession Sound from 1964 to 1979 and caused chemicals and heavy metals to seep into Puget Sound and surrounding wetlands. The landfill was named a Superfund cleanup site in 1995, and the EPA sought payments from more than 300 companies. The settlement calls for 14 companies and government agencies to finance the $15 million cleanup, with more than half coming from Seattle Disposal. The deal also includes an agreement by Waste Management, one of the liable companies, to design build and (in good part) finance a cover for the 147-acre site. Two major parties--Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI) and Todd Shipyards--have yet to settle. BFI, a waste hauler, is awaiting arbitration of its share. Todd claims no responsibility. Edited by Paul Hersch |