Public comment period extended for Occidental Chemical cleanup
State officials have extended the deadline for the public to weigh in on proposals to clean up the long-buried toxic plume of pollution beneath the former Occidental Chemical site on the Hylebos Waterway.
About 100 people attended a meeting Wednesday night in Northeast Tacoma to hear details of the proposals, in which Occidental Chemical will pay for a cleanup expected to last decades.
Total cost of the cleanup depends on which options are chosen. The possibilities in a draft feasibility study include building a containment wall, pumping out groundwater for cleaning and removing polluted soil.
The state Department of Ecology will choose which plan is implemented.
Most of the 17 people who spoke urged officials to pick the most thorough cleanup available, though Occidental has expressed a preference for a lower-cost option.
The deadline to make comments has been extended to April 27 from March 13, said Kerry A. Graber, Ecology Department hazardous waste inspector.
Public comments can sent via email to kerry.graber@ecy.wa.gov or by mail to the Ecology Department’s Southwest Regional Office at P.O. Box 47775, Olympia, WA 98504-7600.
Derrick Nunnally: 253-597-8693, @dcnunnally
This story was originally published March 9, 2017 at 6:52 PM with the headline "Public comment period extended for Occidental Chemical cleanup."