The former Multnomah Metals Company property is located at 236 SW Flower Street in Southwest Portland. Multnomah Metals operated a secondary lead smelting facility at this location from the early 1920s to the mid-1960s. A building at this location was used as a foundry to melt and recycle lead, solder, and other scrap metal. The smelter operated in close proximity to residences, most of which still exist today. The smelter property was re-zoned for residential housing in 1974, and the original industrial structures on the premises were demolished in 1975. In 1976 a home was constructed on the former smelter site.
ODEQ conducted an outreach program of neighboring properties in June 2012 to provide information regarding the former smelter property and to obtain access to analyze for lead in soil. ODEQ conducted field monitoring at 21 properties, and based on these results, ODEQ and EPA planned an additional investigation of four properties in close proximity to the former smelter property.
In April 2012, ODEQ entered into a voluntary agreement with the current property owner of 236 SW Flower Street to conduct an additional investigation, and remedial action at that property only. A comprehensive remedial investigation was completed in August 2012 to determine the extent and nature of contamination at the property. Surface and shallow subsurface conditions were investigated in early July 2012 by completing 36 direct-push soil borings to depths up to 3.0 feet below ground surface (bgs). The remedial action at 236 SW Flowers was completed in November 2012.
In June 2012, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) referred four residential properties to EPA for further assessment. In October and November 2012, EPA conducted a Removal Assessment of the four residences referred by ODEQ, as well as three other nearby homes for a total of seven properties. Over 84 soil samples from the seven residences were collected and analyzed for lead, arsenic, and chromium as well as other metals. The Environmental Protection Agency hazard standard for lead in residential soil is 400 parts per million (ppm). Four of the seven residential yards exceeded the lead limit of 400 ppm and one yard had levels between 350 and 399 ppm. The EPA decided to set a conservative cleanup level of 350 ppm and will pay for the clean up of all 5 yards, despite one yard testing less than the hazard standard.
