SKYKOMISH — Now that school’s out, contractors can begin the final phase of what’s being called one of Washington’s most complex cleanup projects.
The state’s Department of Ecology says it will oversee contractors for BNSF Railway as they install equipment to remove petroleum contamination under the Skykomish school.
A railway maintenance and fueling facility operated in the small town, near Stevens Pass, until 1974. Over the years, heavy fuel oil and diesel were discharged in the rail yard. The oil flowed into the water table and under the town to the South Fork of the Skykomish River.
The multiyear cleanup has removed oil from under the town, but the depression-era reinforced concrete school building was a daunting technical challenge.
Officials have decided on a three-part approach that includes hot-water flushing and soil vapor extraction.
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