The Cascade Corporation site is located at 2201 NE 201st Avenue in Troutdale, Oregon. Cascade has manufactured specialized lift truck attachments at the site since 1956. The plant consists of a single large building surrounded by asphalt-surfaced areas, and occupies about 8 acres of the 47 acre property. Cascade has historically conducted a variety of industrial processes, including machining, carburizing heat treatment, nickel and hard chrome plating and painting.

Chlorinated solvents were used for parts cleaning through 1975. Waste solvents and oils were collected and stored in underground tanks on the north edge of the site. Two waste oil tanks were removed in 1988. During removal of the tanks, soil contamination was visible. Subsequent investigations confirmed contamination of the shallow, unconfined aquifer which lead to issuance of a consent order in 1989 to determine the extent of soil and groundwater contamination and develop cleanup alternatives for the contaminated media. This investigation is referred to as a remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS).

During the RI/FS, Cascade implemented a number of interim cleanup actions to control the sources and further spread of groundwater contamination off-site and to the underlying aquifer(s). Interim groundwater cleanup includes operation of 4 extraction wells located at the northern property boundary, and a 400 foot groundwater recovery trench north of the facility. Over 45 million gallons of contaminated groundwater containing approximately 460 pounds of solvents have been removed by Cascade since interim cleanup started in 1991.

Cascade completed remedial investigation in March 1995 and the feasibility study in January 1996. DEQ issued a remedial action record of decision (ROD) for the Cascade Corporation facility on December 31, 1996. The remedy for Cascade facility requires additional groundwater extraction on-site, injection of air into the shallow groundwater aquifer to volatilize solvent from water and extraction of solvent vapors from the soil.

The estimated cost of the cleanup is $4 million over a 30 year period which will be paid for by Cascade.

A consent order specifying the requirements for implementing the final remedy selected by DEQ was issued to Cascade on April 2, 1997. The draft remedial design and remedial action (RD/RA) work plan was submitted by Cascade to DEQ for review and approval on June 2, 1997. DEQ comments on the draft plan were issued in July 1997. A final work plan will be submitted in late August 1997. Implementation of some of the cleanup activities will begin this fall, and will take approximately 1 year to fully complete the design and installation of the remedy.

Environmental Concerns

The site is upgradient and cross gradient from a number of private and public wells. Groundwater is used extensively in the area for drinking water within a 2 mile radius of the site. The primary human health concern is the contamination of these drinking water supply aquifers with the solvent trichloroethene (TCE) at concentrations exceeding the federal and state drinking water standard of 5 micrograms per liter (ug/L).

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