Environmental Remediation Services at Former Aluminum Smelting Facility
Port of Portland • Troutdale, OR
Solution Overview
Client:
Port of Portland (Port)
Business Challenge:
- Soil and groundwater contamination associated with fluoride-containing waste materials, petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and cyanide
- Site included on the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund registry
- Redevelopment requiring coordination between owner, tenants, and agencies
Solution:
- Operation and maintenance of a multi-aquifer groundwater treatment system
- Preparation of parcel-specific development plans for each subdivided lot across the site
- Maintaining all Superfund-related maintenance, monitoring, and reporting tasks
Results:
- The Port and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) received the Howard Orlean Excellence in Site Reuse Award from the EPA
Challenge
Apex Companies helped to facilitate the Port’s redevelopment of the Troutdale Reynolds Industrial Property (TRIP) facility in Troutdale, Oregon (formerly known as the Alcoa‑Reynolds Metals facility). The nearly 700-acre facility is a former World War II era aluminum smelter that is included on the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) National Priorities List (Superfund List). The Port purchased the Facility from Alcoa in 2008 and assumed responsibility for the TRIP facility environmental controls through 2020. During this period, the Port developed the brownfield property as an industrial park (anchored by several large national shipping and warehouse companies).
Challenges included management of Superfund‑related development restrictions and their impact on development, operation and maintenance of a high‑volume groundwater extraction system, long‑term monitoring and reporting, and interfacing with the Port, regulatory agencies (local, state, and federal), and tenants.
Solution
From 2007 through 2020, Apex provided environmental consulting services to the Port of Portland to support remediation and redevelopment activities. Our responsibilities have included operation and maintenance of a multi-aquifer groundwater extraction system, long‑term groundwater monitoring and reporting across the 700-acre site, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) monitoring and reporting, and regular groundwater system and cap inspections. Our team also provided oversight of construction inspections, modifications to the groundwater system infrastructure, and modifications to the monitoring well network. Apex has also completed a variety as‑needed support tasks such as stormwater sampling, site‑specific development and management plans, and materials testing.
Redevelopment of the facility has resulted in the annexing of the property into the City of Troutdale, installation of municipal services and physical improvements to the property, coordination with the city and county for the ownership and maintenance of municipal services and streets, the production of a parcel-specific development plan, and close coordination with tenants to support the construction of individual facilities (which includes large distribution facilities for FedEx Ground and Amazon). Apex has assisted the Port with each of these activities.
Results
We completed work at the site under the oversight of the Oregon DEQ and the EPA. By fostering positive working relationships with Port construction managers and their contractors through their regular interactions during planning, investigation, and implementation activities, this comprehensive project advanced according to schedule and deliverables were consistently completed at or below budget.
In 2018, the EPA recognized the Port and the DEQ for their work on the TRIP facility with the Howard Orlean Excellence in Site Reuse Award. EPA Region 10 established the Howard Orlean Excellence in Site Reuse Award in 2014. Region 10 presents this reuse award to recognize the collaborative partnerships and innovative approaches within the Region that protect public health, sustain healthy communities, and safeguard the environment. The Howard Orlean Excellence in Site Reuse Award may be awarded to developers, site owners, responsible parties, local governments, or other key stakeholders, or a group of these individuals or organizations who have exhibited dedication to safely and productively reusing contaminated areas while keeping them protective for both the public and the environment.