The environmental remediation work at the proposed homeless encampment site on NW Market Street has finished, but the cost of remediation will exceed initial estimates after crews found contaminants deeper in the ground.

All of the contaminated soil was removed last Friday and the new soil was unloaded and spread last Wednesday August 26.

According to Scott Thompsen with Seattle City Light, crews dug out one foot of soil within the former transformer yard. Two feet of soil was removed from one half of the lawn area and 30 inches were removed from the other half. Approximately 400 cubic yards of soil was removed.

“The soil was removed until we had confirmation samples that only clean soil was removed guided by the Model Toxic Control Act. It sets a standard for clean up. We kept removing soil until test samples came back negative,” said Thompsen.

“As you are doing it you are looking at the material that’s coming out and dig until you get to clean dirt. If you have spots with isolated contaminants you have to remove it all to make sure you get it out.”

The cost of testing and soil cleanup was estimated to be $145,500, but Thompsen said there would be added costs because more soil was removed.

“We don’t have a final number right now but anticipate going beyond the 145,500 estimate because of the longer time involved and the increase amount of material that was disposed of.”

Thomsen said it would be a few weeks before they know for sure what the added cost would be.

“What ever use for this property that cost was going to be there for the Utility eventually, no matter what”

The remediation was needed after Seattle City Light found deildrin (a pesticide), asbestos, cadmium and lead at the site. The site was once used as a storage site for SCL.

Thomsen reported that the lead and cadmium were above the Model Toxic Control Act standards for cleanup, and the dieldrin level was significantly higher than the State standard for cleanup.

Environmental remediation is standard practice for SCL and was not done specifically for the homeless encampment; any time a SCL property changes use it undergoes contamination inspection and remediation if needed.

The rest of the work being done at the site will be preparation work for the homeless encampment, which would include a top layer of gravel and pallets. However, the City and the Ballard stakeholders are discussing alternative locations for the encampment location, and the site on NW Market Street remains a proposed site.