Summary Information
(last updated on: 12/1/2021 12:38:45 PM)
The Former Martin Marietta facility (Site) was used for aluminum manufacturing from 1958 through 2003 and is located in The Dalles, Oregon adjacent to the Columbia River.
The facility produced aluminum via electrolytic reduction of alumina. Harvey Aluminum began operating at the site in 1958. Martin Marietta Corporation purchased Harvey Aluminum in 1970 and operated until 1984, when the plant was shut down. Martin Marietta later merged with Lockheed to become Lockheed Martin. Before 1984, 5,000 tons of waste cathodic materials containing arsenic, cyanide, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were disposed of in an on-site landfill. An additional 64,670 cubic yards of cathode waste material were deposited on other portions of the site. Scrubber sludges containing fluorides and PAHs were disposed of in four scrubber sludge ponds. Cyanide was detected in groundwater beneath the site and in leachate from the landfill. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1986.
A Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) began in 1985 and a 1988 Record of Decision (ROD) outlined the remedial decision for the site. A 1989 Consent Decree between Martin Marietta, EPA, and DEQ memorialized the scope of remedial design and remedial actions (RD/RA) at the site including future monitoring, operations and maintenance requirements.
Site cleanup remedial actions were completed from 1989 to 1992. Cathode waste material from around the site was placed into an on-site CERCLA landfill, which was then closed and capped. Two open scrubber sludge ponds were covered with soil, while two older ponds had been covered with soil and vegetation prior to 1984. Groundwater wells in the area were abandoned, and users were connected to the City of The Dalles municipal water supply. EPA issued Explanation of Significant Differences in 1994 and 2017 to address the modifications to the ROD cleanup plan. While EPA issued a Certificate of Completion for the cleanup in 1995, operation and maintenance activities continue and include long-term operation of the leachate collection and treatment system and groundwater monitoring. In 1995, EPA delisted the site from the NPL based on the conclusion that the remedial actions meet performance standards.
Northwest Aluminum Company (NWA) leased the plant from Martin Marietta in 1986, and purchased the site in 1992. Even though NWA had purchased the plant, the Site’s waste management units (CERCLA Landfill, the RCRA Landfill, and the Scrubber Sludge Ponds) remained the responsibility of Lockheed Martin. Plant operations resumed in 1987 until 2003, when NWA declared bankruptcy and ceased aluminum manufacturing at the site.
In 2005, Golden Northwest Aluminum Holding Company was formed pursuant to reorganization plan under federal bankruptcy court order and creates NWA as a wholly-owned subsidiary to operate The Dalles plant. From 2007 to 2011, NWA with oversight by DEQ’s Cleanup program decommissioned the aluminum plant structures and performed additional investigation and cleanup of the site. In 2012, DEQ issued a conditional No Further Action (CNFA) determination to NWA.
Currently the site is composed of many parcels of land including some that are being redeveloped. These properties include the CERCLA landfill, the RCRA landfill, and the Scrubber Sludge Ponds (ECSI #72), the former NWA property which includes the former rodeo grounds and the Hydro Extrusion property (#4557, #4793, #5955), and The Dalles Disposal site (#2165).
| Site: |
Martin Marietta Reduction Fac. RCRA/CERCLA L'fill (ECSI Site ID: 72) |
CERCLIS (EPA) Id | 052221025 |
| Project Manager: |
David Anderson |
Investigative Status: | Listed on the Confirmed Release List or Inventory |
| PM Phone: |
(541) 633-2012
|
NPL(National Priority Listing): | No |
| Address: |
3313 W 2nd St. |
Is this site an Orphan? | No |
| The Dalles,
97058 |
Is this site a brownfield? | No |
| County: |
WASCO |
Action Underway or Needed: |
OPERATION & MAINTENANCE |
| Region: |
Eastern Region |
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NOTE: This site has one or more long-term controls designed to manage site risks.
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