U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Bremerton Auto Wrecking - Gorst Creek Site

 
Site Contact:
Dale Becker
OSC

(becker.dale@epa.gov)

Site Location:
4275 State Hwy 3 SW
Port Orchard, WA 98367
 response.epa.gov/BremertonAutoWreckingGorstCreek

All EPA cleanup and restoration work was completed at this site in 2019. Kitsap County has is monitoring site conditions.

The Gorst Creek Bremerton Auto Wrecking Landfill (GCL) Site is a former landfill site near Port Orchard in Kitsap County, Washington. The site operated as a landfill from the 1950s until 1989. During this time, the landfill primarily received auto wrecking wastes but also received other wastes, such as medical waste from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as well as demolition debris and municipal solid waste.

The actual or threatened release of hazardous substances within and from the Site may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to the public health, welfare, or the environment within the meaning of Section 106(a) of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. § 9606(a). This Engineering Evaluation/Cost Estimate (EE/CA) was prepared to identify and evaluate removal action alternatives to mitigate off-site migration of the landfill contaminants of concern and the potential impounding of surface water.

The objectives for the proposed removal actions evaluated in this EE/CA are to protect human health and the environment by preventing human and ecological receptor contact with landfill contents and associated hazardous substances, and to comply with applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements to the extent practicable. Specific removal action objectives include either removing the contents of the landfill and transferring them to a secure off-site facility or providing an engineered solution that affords sufficient hydraulic conveyance to prevent upstream surface water impoundment.

The Administrative Record for the Bremerton Auto Wrecking / Gorst Creek Removal is also available on line. This record contains information upon which EPA has based its selection of a response action at the site.

The administrative record may be accessed through the following link:
https://semspub.epa.gov/src/collection/10/AR64302

Link to KNKX 'Sound Effect' story from March 2017



CLICK IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW TIME LAPSE VIDEOS OF SITE ACTIVITY (redirects to an external page):




<img=https: getslideshowimage.ashx?counter="271675"></img=https:>


Channel has been constructed, soils have been amended with top soil and mulch. Native vegetation is being planted and woody debris placed on upland slopes in the background. resized for notice resized for notice East side of landfill looking to the northwest. Construction of temporary stormwater conveyance. Construction of temporary stormwater conveyance at the upstream end. View of test plot and temporary stormwater conveyance prior to application of hydroseed. Stockpile containment cell #8 covered with poly and secured with soil from the borrow source. Straw wattle is germinating after heavy precipitation, facing downstream. Completed AAW fence. Standing water in the temporary conveyance, facing downstream. Closeup of hydroseed, including germinating sprouts. View of the landfill facing downstream. Full impoundment. The high-visibility orange flag marking the culvert inlet is fully submerged. View of the northeast section of the landfill after hydroseed application. View of the south slope after hydroseed application. Standing water inside the temporary stormwater conveyance. Facing downstream from the south slope. View of the downstream portion of the landfill after hydroseed application. Sedimentation on north slope of the landfill after heavy precipitation. Northwest corner of the landfill after full hydroseed application. Note security fencing to discourage unauthorized access to the site. AAW property stormwater catchment pond. Closeup of full hydroseed application around a straw wattle. Making minor repairs to surface erosion after heavy precipitation. View of the impoundment after heavy precipitation. The high-visibility orange flag denotes the culvert inlet. View of the upstream section of the landfill after heavy precipitation and before completion of the hydroseed application. View of the test plot after heavy precipitation. View of the downstream section of the landfill after heavy precipitation and prior to completion of hydroseed application. Water cascading down the temporary stormwater conveyance. Discharge from the landfill culvert, facing downstream. Discharge from the landfill culvert. Surface water sample collection from the outfall of the landfill culvert. Stormwater catchment pond on the north side of the stockpile area. Straw wattle running through the test plot of compost and hog fuel. Hydroseed truck. Panoramic view from the north slope of the landfill during hydroseed application. Fence post installation at AAW property. Hog fuel placed on along the south slope of the landfill for erosion control, facing upstream. Water in the temporary conveyance, facing downstream. Water in the temporary stormwater conveyance, facing upstream. View of the upstream end of the landfill and temporary stormwater conveyance prior to application of hydroseed. View of the test plot and completed temporary stormwater conveyance prior to hydroseed application . Panoramic view of the north slope of the landfill prior to hydroseed application. Applying adhesive to sections of poly liner in the temporary stormwater conveyance. Tilling compost into test plot on the north slope of the landfill. View of the site from Air Station 3 after partial hydroseed application. Upstream culvert inlet marked with high-visibility orange flag. View of site from Air Station 3. Construction of temporary conveyance. Construction of temporary conveyance. Poly liner secured with concrete around upstream end of temporary conveyance. Upstream end of temporary stormwater conveyance. Construction of temporary stormwater conveyance. Test plot in the foreground with compost and hog fuel. Installation of poly liner for temporary stormwater conveyance. Loading haul truck with clean backfill from the on-site borrow source. Construction of temporary conveyance. Construction of temporary stormwater conveyance. Downstream end of landfill during initial construction of temporary conveyance. Upstream end of landfill prior to construction of temporary stormwater conveyance. North side of landfill excavation area. Looking north toward airport auto wrecking property line. Erosion control measures in place. Lower end of conveyance channel, looking upstream Stockpile area, - in preparation for Winter Assessing grade of the temporary stormwater conveyance using survey equipment. Excavating during a rainy day. Collecting waste characterization sample and performing radiation screening in Containment Cell 1. Excavating near the upstream section of the landfill. Excavating toward the downstream section of the landfill. Segregating tree stumps in the foreground; shaping and contouring the north slope of the landfill in the background. Deploying air monitoring and sampling equipment at air station 5. The north face of the landfill after grading and compaction. Excavating the temporary stormwater conveyance. START engineers observe as ERRS backfills excavation area. Compaction testing by geotech subcontractor and START conducting oversight on northern slope of landfill. Partially cleared site of landfill waste, looking northwest across site. START conducting survey on ERRS equipment after LEL alarm on excavator. Overview looking southeast across landfill from air station 2. Site tour with EPA and Tribe representatives. START and USCG collecting analytical samples from post-excavation area on northeast face of landfill. Overview of excavation activities, looking northwest across landfill. Overview of landfill site, looking northeast across landfill. ERRS overpacks the drum of resin uncovered in the landfill. Deteriorating drum of resin uncovered in landfill. Excavation and loading haul truck at upstream section of landfill. Excavation at upstream section of landfill. Excavation at upstream and downstream sections of landfill. Stockpile Stockpile Panoramic taken from N side Replacement Haul truck arrives on site Scrap metal - Staged Loading landfill waste to haul truck from cell #5 for off-site disposal CG member conducting air monitoring equipment inventory Filling of cell 8 ERRS spotter watching landfill operations. Continued loadout of cell #8. Dumptruck backing for loading of materials in the landfill. Further clearing down access trail to dam check/pond #3. Overview of Landfill excavation operations. CG member conducting radiation survey of cell #5. Overview of EERS excavating landfill EERS haul truck off-loading landfill debris into cell #5 Decontaminating Sasquatch EERS contractors covering stock pile #4 with plastic Overview of landfill operations CG and START contractor conducting engineering inspection round Trucks lined up for loadout from cells in the material staging area Continued excavation and sorting of steel from landfill Stockpile - from scissors lift Site Portrait Clearing trees near the face of the landfill. This will allow an improved view for the time-lapse camera. The trees would eventually need to be removed for the landfill excavation. Loading out concrete in the Stockpile Area. START Engineer conducting daily inspections of stormwater BMPs. Tour group from the Kitsap County Solid Waste Advisory Group at Air Station 3. View of excavation in the landfill from Air Station 3. Deploying air monitoring instrumentation at Air Station 5 in the Stockpile Area. Collecting soil sample for waste characterization. Constructing stockpile in Containment Cell 3. View of excavation activities in the landfill from air station 3 location. Loading out a haul truck in the landfill area. View of the landfill area, facing northwest. Loading out concrete at the Stockpile Area. View of stockpiled concrete at the recycling facility. Screening material at the concrete recycling facility. Tour of the concrete recycling facility. Loading out Containment Cell 8 in the Stockpile Area. Excavated boundary between landfill and neighboring Airport Auto Wrecking property. ERRS excavates landfill waste from the property boundary with Airport Auto Wrecking. START uses XRF for post-excavation screening at the NW corner of the landfill. Pile of granite recovered from the landfill and staged at the stockpile area. START collects post-excavation sample from AAW property. START uses XRF for post-excavation screening on the AAW property. Panoramic from S side landfill 7/11 ERRS excavates landfill waste from the Airport Auto Wrecking property. The OSC gives a tour to site visitors from local fire departments. The OSC gives a site tour to visitors from EPA Region 10. ERRS loads concrete into trucks for off-site transportation and recycling. Snapshot of Timelapse Video for Profile Page Site Visitor Overview of excavation progress looking southwest across landfill. Excavators loading haul trucks from landfill. Excavators loading haul trucks from landfill. Overview of excavation progress looking west across landfill. Aerial Photo - Landfill on left, stockpile area in center. Office trailers toward upper right. START conducting HAZCAT of contents of 15-gallon tank discovered in landfill. Bulldozer starting cut for new lift of landfill excavation. Northwest section of fence removed along northeast property boundary at Airport Auto Wrecking property. Cylinder station with containerized Ra-226 radioactive waste, in drums labeled 'radioactive'. Cylinder station with containerized Ra-226 radioactive waste, in 55-gallon drums labeled 'radioactive'. Scanning exterior of drum container with radiation source to determine radiation threat. Radiation retrieval team member being scanned for radiation contamination at decontamination line. Identified radioactive source of radium-226. ERRS retrieving radiation source, START scanning suspected shovel full of soil and radiation source w/Ludlum 2241. ERRS ready to retrieve radiation source, START scanning suspected radiation source w/Ludlum 2241. Container drum and liner prepped to receive radiation contamination. Overview of exclusion zone, decontamination line, and START and ERRS in Level C investigating radiation source at stockpile #8. START and START radiation technician isolating radiation source in stockpile 8 and analyzing for isotope. START and START radiation technician isolating radiation source in stockpile 8 and analyzing for isotope. Overview of landfill excavation, looking south. Conducting equipment decon prior to leaving landfill area. Haul truck dumping debris at the off-site facility (North Mason Fiber Co.) Haul truck arriving at off-site facility with debris from landfill. Gondola rail cars at the off-site facility loaded with excavated material from landfill. (North Mason Fiber Co.) New containment cell #8 and liner. Previously collected asbestos samples excavated from landfill, bagged and removed. Removal of HAZ waste material from cell #1, with lined haul truck trailers. Removal of HAZ waste material from cell #1. Overview of stockpile area and containment cells, and loading of HAZ waste from containment cell #1. Collection of background samples of containment cell #8. Containment cell #8 construction. Site visit from WA Fish & Wildlife, local and state authorities. Overview of stockpile area and containment cells, and construction of containment cell #8. USCG member conducting excavation oversight near northwest end of landfill during daily Site Safety task. ERRS contractor conducting spotting for the excavation and loading activities in the North end of the landfill. View of the north end of the landfill. Site excavation at the north end of the landfill. Site familiarization walk-through with the South Kitsap Fire Department. Truck and trailer for off-site waste disposal is being weighed before entrance into exclusion zone. Loading trucks and trailers for off-site disposal of soil and debris begins at Containment Cell #1. START member utilizing radiation detection equipment. START member collecting soil sample for waste profile analyses at Containment Cell #5. START contractor mapping excavation site with GPS equipment. Loading of truck on the North end of the landfill site. View of the north end of the Landfill. Containment Cells #1 through Cell #3, with excavated soil and waste from landfill, completed and covered. ERRS crew excavating and sorting landfill debris, before hauling to on-site sampling/staging containment cells. ERRS contractor removing first layer of landfill debris along the northeastern side of the site. Concrete stockpile. Samples of conduit contained within concrete columns were collected and submitted to laboratory to determine if asbestos is present. START collects a composite sample of sorted landfill debris in containment cell #3. ERRS covering containments cells #1 and #2 in background. Project team site walk during noon excavation break. ERRS excavating northern corner of the landfill. Note area of stained soil near center of photograph. ERRS excavating northern corner of the landfill. Placing waste in containment cell #2. START collecting sample from containment cell #1. Panoramic photograph of instrumentation and PPE prepared for deployment. Dust control during tire loading operation on the landfill. Conducting weekly stormwater monitoring at location SW-2. Silt fence installed at bypass pump area. The bypass pipe leading along the access road bordering Airport Auto Wrecking property. Deploying equipment on the landfill prior to excavation. Positioning scale house with front end loader. Downstream end of bypass piping at HWY 3 box culvert leading to diffuser pipe. USCG at downstream end of bypass pipe at HWY 3 box culvert. USCG observing a check dam in the Gorst Creek channel between landfill and HWY 3. Scale installation near the Command Post. Placing a drum in an overpack in Level B PPE. Gates installed at haul road entrance. Completed haul road and truck entrance with signage. Collecting GPS coordinates for bypass pumps. Stream bypass pumps located in Gorst Creek in the upstream side of the landfill. Cylinder staging area along the western perimeter of the containment cell area. Photo of bulk asbestos sample LF-05-BK Air sampling location in vicinity of tire stockpile near center of landfill. Road construction in the containment cell stockpile area. Temporary fencing placed in woods along highway 3 sw ERRS installing liner in containment cell in stockpile area Containment cell with liner installed Off-loading of containment cell liners Compressed gas cylinders recovered from surface debris temporarily staged on landfill One of two stormwater collection pits located along an unnamed creek in stockpile area View of two-step bench and sediment controls installed on the upstream side of landfill View of the ERRS laying sand material used as buffer between containment cell liners and native soil Haul road at transition to prior developed roadway leading to Highway 3 SW OSC Rodin assessing the downstream portion of Gorst Creek in the area of a proposed sandbag dam to mitigate potential discharges due to landfill excavation activities OSC Rodin escorting Kitsap County Public Health and a reporter with the Kitsap Sun online edition Looking southwest at the stockpile area from the landfill Terminus of the completed haul road in the central portion of the site ERRS installing silt fencing at an unnamed creek passing under the haul road Debris recovered from the stockpile area Looking northeast at the stockpile area being constructed on the south eastern side of the landfill View of the upstream terminus of Gorst Creek at the inlet drainage swale under the landfill. This area historically has backed up with water but has fully drained as of at least April 11. Downstream side of landfill Upstream of landfill-impounded water from Fall rain
For additional information, visit the Pollution/Situation Report (Pol/Sitreps) and the Notices sections.