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On Saturday 6/7/08, OSC Parker took photos of the chemicals to the Kitsap County Moderate Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility (MHHWCF) at 5551 SW Imperial Way to show to the county workers there. The facility is a couple miles north of the location where the chemicals were dumped. The facility workers said they did not remember anyone coming by to drop off the chemicals but that they are only open to the public three days a week and to Small Quantity Generators (SQG) two days a month. They offered the possibility of EPA bringing the chemicals to them for disposal. They estimated that a SQG would have been charged approximately $200 for disposal, as their prices are approximately one dollar a pound depending on the chemical. Disposal would have been free to a household.
The OSC then met with Sgt. Ted Jackson of Washington Fish and Wildlife and Tom Johnson, the complainant, at the site where the chemicals were dumped. The chemicals were at the side of an unnamed private road that accessed Highway 3 one-half mile north of milepost 29, north of Belfair. The chemicals were in six various rectangular boxes and bins and covered by a tarp, a blanket and several unopened garbage bags. Tom Johnson loaned the OSC his easement documents to copy and a key to the gate so that EPA's ER vehicles would have more space for parking and turning around. From his papers it appeared that the property is owned by Brenda Manke. He said that the chemicals were dumped there between one week and six months earlier.
The OSC photographed each container label. Most of the labels indicated the contents were either inert chemicals or solid poisons. One open bottle of liquid smelled like acetic acid. No ignitable or reactive chemicals appeared to be present and since the chemicals had already been exposed to the environment for up to six months, it was unlikely they would still be reactive. After checking with the MHHWCF and getting approval from Removal Manager Chris Field, the OSC transported the chemicals to the MHHWCF for safekeeping and later processing for disposal. The county workers placed everything in a large covered bin so that criminal investigators could look at the intact contents at a later date.
Investigation of PRP
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