VANCOUVER PORT COMMISSION AUTHORIZES TCE CHANGE ORDER (10/9/07)

For Immediate Release

VANCOUVER, Wash.-The Vancouver Port Commission today authorized Executive Director Larry Paulson to sign a change order to the contract for TCE Cleanup that includes design and construction services for the pump-and-treat system at the former Swan Manufacturing Company site.

The port executed a contract with Parametrix, Inc., in December, 1997 to address trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination at the former Swan Manufacturing Company site. The port entered into an Agreed Order in 1998 with the Washington Department of Ecology to conduct a remedial investigation and feasibility study of the contamination site. Excavation of the contaminated soils was completed in 1999. Investigations to determine the extent of contamination at the site and evaluation of groundwater cleanup technology at the source have been ongoing.

The objective of the change order to the contract with Parametrix is to support port efforts including, design, permit and overseeing construction of the groundwater pump-and-treat system at the Swan Manufacturing site, manage the environmental obligations associated with the Cadet facility, and provide oversight of environmental investigation and cleanup activities being completed by NuStar Energy.

The Change Order increases the contract by $2,736,900 for a new contract total not to exceed $11,611,843 and expires December 31, 2008. TCE costs for 2007 include $2.75 million which includes consulting, lab costs, chemicals and Dept. of Ecology reimbursement. So far, approximately $2.1 million has been spent.

Since the cleanup started, the port has removed and treated 14,000 cubic yards of soil from the former Swan Manufacturing site. A second source of contamination is located on the Cadet Manufacturing property, where three remediation systems have been put in place on the site. The port purchased property at Cadet Manufacturing in 2006, and took control of the cleanup activities.

The port has already spent $13 million, and anticipates it will spend another $21 million to finish the cleanup. The Washington Department of Ecology has given the port a total of $6.3 million to assist with funding the cleanup.

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The Port of Vancouver, USA, created by Clark County taxpayers in 1912, is one of the major ports on the Pacific Coast. Its competitive strengths include available land, versatile cargo handling capabilities, vast transportation networks, a dependable labor force and an exceptional level of service to its customers and community.

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