Seventh Avenue Service

Last Updated: March 4, 2024

有關清理工作的中文信息

Cleanup continues with monitoring planned for Spring 2024

Seventh Avenue Service site is located in Seattle’s International District at 701 S Jackson Street. Ecology and 701 S Jackson Partners, LLC (South Jackson Partners) have prioritized cleanup of the site in conjunction with redevelopment of the property as a mixed-use retail and affordable housing complex. South Jackson Partners is cleaning up the site under a legal agreement, called a Prospective Purchaser Consent Decree, with Ecology. Remedial soil excavation was completed in October 2023. Performance groundwater and soil vapor monitoring is planned in spring 2024.

March 2024 Update: All soil cleanup activities conducted during construction are documented in Ecology's approved Cleanup Action Report.

June 2023: All buildings were demolished. A metal drum containing oil and other waste materials was removed from the former garage structure. All trees and lamp posts are protected, and the property is completely fenced off. A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the end of this month. 

July 2023: Excavation at the site begins. A soils engineer will assist in the separation of the contaminated soils managed under the Contaminated Materials Management Plan for this site. Soil is being disposed of at Cadman's Everett facility under permit. Approximately 40% of the eastern part of the site is excavated to 6 feet. 

August 2023: Excavation and disposal of soil continues. The western portion of the property is excavated to around 80 ft. Further excavation is needed in the southern portion of the site to remove contaminated soil. All soil exports continue as planned in accordance with the Contaminated Material Management Plan. As the excavation continues, walls are installed on the edges of the pit to make sure soil does not fall back into the excavation. This is called shoring and lagging and is currently being installed and inspected throughout this month. 

September 2023: Shoring work is near completion, supporting the remedial action, and soil samples were collected for analysis. Shoring was finished by mid-September, allowing soil excavation to continue. The project also involves the investigation and removal of contaminated soil, with an expected completion date of September 22. Excavation and shoring will conclude by October, and excavated soils are being transported to a designated facility. Sampling confirmed the removal of petroleum-contaminated soil in the western portion of the site, while results for the eastern portion are still pending.

October 2023: As of October 2nd, the excavation of contaminated materials has been successfully completed according to plan, and all heavy equipment has been removed. Samples were taken to verify the removal of contamination, and the results confirm that the contamination has been eliminated.

Site History
Historically, the property was used for car repair and fueling, with a gasoline service station operating from the 1930s into the 1970s. The service station stored gasoline in two underground tanks, which were removed from the property in 2010. Except for a small portion of the existing garage which is used as a storage room for a retail tea shop, the property has not had any commercial activity in the last 20 years.

Contamination
Site investigations found that soil at the site is contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons, naphthalene, and BTEX - a combination of chemicals that occur naturally in crude oil including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes. Investigations also showed that some imported soil used for fill contained lead and/or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) above Washington State’s cleanup standards.

The contamination at the site exists in the soil underneath the property boundaries, and also extends into the soil under a portion of the right-of-way at 7th Avenue South and South Jackson Street. 

In 1992 through 2022, both soil and groundwater at the site were tested for contamination that could harm people or the environment. The investigation confirmed that contamination from gasoline was present in the soil, at depths between 5 and 17.5 feet below ground surface in the central and western portions of the site. Groundwater tests did not show any contamination above state cleanup levels.

Site Cleanup
The ongoing cleanup work will follow Ecology’s Cleanup Action Plan to address contamination within the site. The Cleanup Action Plan includes: 
• Demolishing existing structures on the property. 
• Removing any contaminated soil within the property boundaries. 
• Preventing exposure to the remaining contamination under right-of-way by filing an environmental covenant that requires institutional and engineering controls and long-term monitoring.

Redevelopment

After site cleanup is completed, South Jackson Partners plan to construct an eight-story building with ground level retail space. Plans include 202 apartment units with rents targeted for households that make between 40% and 80% of the area’s median income. South Jackson Partners expect that demolition and excavation will begin in the Spring of 2023 and will be completed within about four months of the start date.

The Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) is Washington’s environmental cleanup law. It provides requirements for contaminated site cleanup and sets standards that protect human health and the environment. Ecology enacts the MTCA and oversees cleanups. The MTCA site cleanup process is completed in steps (see graphic below) over a variable timeline.