Cleanup of the Ultra Site
About the Project
This project will cleanup soil and groundwater contamination from former dry cleaners located on the site west of City Hall on the east side of Bothell Way NE between SR 522 and NE 185th St known as the Ultra site. The project involves excavating to remove contaminated soil at the original site of the dry cleaners and injecting a series of treatment barriers directly into the groundwater to break down contaminants within the plume, which will prepare the site for future use. Learn more.
| Timeline | What's Happening |
|---|---|
2001 - 2020 | Multiple investigations and interim actions were performed for the City as a part of Downtown Redevelopment Planning and Right-of-Way improvements and for the property owners to assess the extent of contamination |
| 2012 | The City acquired the property as a part of downtown redevelopment |
| 2021 - 2022 | Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study and draft Cleanup Action Plan completed |
| Sept. 26 - Oct. 25, 2022 | Public comment period open |
| Early - mid 2023 | Project in design |
| Late 2023/2024 | Site cleanup expected to start |
The site was originally home to three dry cleaners between the early 1950s and February 2012 - Ultra Custom Care Cleaners, Raincheck Cleaners, and NuLife Cleaners. These dry cleaners used Perchloroethylene/PCE (also known as tetrachloroethene) or "PERC" solvent. Contamination from dry cleaning operations was first identified on the site in 2002.
Several environmental investigations and interim actions to reduce the levels of groundwater contamination have been completed since the site was listed on Ecology’s Confirmed and Suspected Contaminated Sites List. The Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) defined areas of contamination from PCE, a chemical commonly used in the dry cleaning industry, and its breakdown products (which are also Ecology-regulated chemicals) in soil and groundwater at the Site. Soil at the Site is contaminated with PCE on the source property near the former dry cleaning businesses. PCE and its breakdown products have migrated downward to the groundwater table and to the south-southeast from the source property in a groundwater plume.
When the City acquired the property as part of the Downtown Revitalization Plan, the last remaining former dry cleaning building was demolished in 2013 to construct the new City Hall building.
Completing this cleanup action has long-term benefits, including:
- Protection of human health through cleanup or mitigation efforts.
- Increased property values through cleanup and potentially eliminating environmental covenants that could limit the future land uses of a property.
- Increased foot traffic to Bothell’s downtown core through sale and development of currently vacant properties. Investors are more willing to buy and develop properties that have already been cleaned up, or those that have an Ecology-approved plan for cleanup.
- Protection of the environment by improving groundwater quality. This will prevent contamination from migrating farther.
- No direct cost to downgradient private property owners. The City is responsible for cleanup of contamination resulting from releases from the Site.
Ecology is providing an opportunity for the local community to review the draft Cleanup Action Plan (CAP) and Consent Decree (CD) documents and submit comments and feedback to Ecology. Also available for reference is the final Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS).
When
September 26 - October 25
Where
Public comments can be submitted to Ecology online, by email to Sunny.Becker@ecy.wa.gov, by phone at 425-457-3842, and by mail to:
Sunny Becker
Department of Ecology – TCP
PO Box 330316
Shoreline, WA 98133-9716
Supporting Documents
- Ultra Cleanup Status Fact Sheet (PDF)
- Downtown Cleanup City Council Staff Update Slides (PDF)
- Downtown Cleanup City Council Staff Update Video