MOUNT VERNON – The state Department of Ecology proposes to remove the site of what’s now the Skagit County Community Justice Center from a statewide list of contaminated sites, because it has been shown to meet state cleanup standards. 
 
Soil and groundwater at the site, formerly known as the Truck City Truck Stop, contained petroleum contamination. Skagit County purchased the property and cleaned up the contamination in 2015 as part of its redevelopment of the site.
                                                                                         
Ecology provided $1.5 million in Remedial Action Grant funding to assist with the county’s cleanup efforts. The grant program helps local governments clean up contaminated sites for redevelopment.
 
Under a cleanup agreement between the county and Ecology, groundwater quality was sampled quarterly at the site after completion of the cleanup. Water quality had to meet state cleanup standards for four consecutive quarters in order for the site to be removed from Ecology’s Hazardous Sites List.
 
All samples met the requirements, with the fourth round of testing completed in August 2017. Based on these, Ecology has determined that the site no longer poses a threat to human health or the environment and is eligible for removal from the list. 
 
Ecology seeks public comment through Feb. 26, 2018, on whether to de-list the site.
Comments should be sent to Dale Myers, site manager, 3190 160^th Ave. SE, Bellevue WA 98008 or to dale.myers@ecy.wa.gov.

Details on the cleanup and all related documents are available on Ecology’s website. The same materials also are available in printed form at:

• Mount Vernon Public Library, 315 Snoqualmie St.
• Mount Vernon City Hall, 910 Cleveland, Ave., Community and Economic Development Department
• Skagit County Commissioners Office, 1800 Continental Place, Suite 100, Mount Vernon
• Department of Ecology, 3190 160^th Ave. SE, Bellevue, by appointment:  sally.perkins@ecy.wa.gov or 425-649-7190 

An Ecology fact sheet in English and Spanish also describes the site’s contamination and cleanup.