Site 1: 200-Line Dump

Site History and Background

200-Line Dump area (DOI, 1936)

The 200-Line Dump is an inactive, covered, and heavily vegetated dump site situated to the east of Neah Bay. An old roadbed borders the dump to the east, and Agency Creek flows below the site to the west. A small intermittent creek that runs along the southern extent of waste at the site flows into Agency Creek. Metal debris, including vehicles, drums, and kitchen appliances, has been documented in the dump (Ridolfi, 2004a).

The dump may have been used at the same time as the Koitlah Point Dump (Site 3). The area encompassing the 200-Line Dump was marked on older maps as a U.S. Military Reserve (USA, 1912; USACE, 1935); in later maps, it was marked as "Agency Reserve" (U.S. Department of the Interior, 1936, 1950). The Makah AFS used the dump site for some period of time during its operation (Claplanhoo, 1994). By the early 1970s, the dump was no longer active.

Unidentified drums at the 200-Line Dump (Ridolfi, 2001)

Any contamination associated with materials deposited at the dump may have impacted subsistence items, including fish in Agency Creek. Contaminants may be migrating from the site into the intermittent creek, Agency Creek, and ground water. Agency Creek likely provides habitat for several species of salmon. From the dump, the creek flows less than one mile before entering Neah Bay.

Activities to Date

200-Line Dump sampling locations (Ridolfi, 2006c)

The Makah Environmental Restoration Team performed site inspections in October 2000 and in March and April 2004, and the site was one of 10 sites investigated during the 2004 limited remedial investigation (Ridolfi, 2005d). Surface water and sediment samples were collected from the site in March 2006.

2004 Limited Remedial Investigation

Two soil samples collected in the ditch along the western portion of the site were analyzed to determine whether waste material in the dump has impacted surface soil in the ditch. The samples were analyzed for gasoline-, diesel-, and lubricating oil-range hydrocarbons; benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX); chlorinated pesticides; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); and 21 metals from the USEPA Target Analyte List.

Only metals were detected at concentrations above laboratory reporting limits. Arsenic and iron were detected in both samples at concentrations above project screening levels, but less than or very close to Puget Sound natural background concentrations in soil (Ecology, 1994); these concentrations are not believed to represent contamination associated with the dump.

2006 Annual Sampling

During March 2006, the Makah Environmental Restoration Team conducted a sampling event at the 200-Line Dump. This sampling event was the first in a series of monitoring events that will be conducted to evaluate potential contamination pathways at the site, as planned in the SPIP (Ridolfi, 2005e). Two sediment and two surface water samples were collected from the small intermittent creek that flows through the site.

Metals, including aluminum, barium, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, and sodium, were the only constituents detected. Screening levels are not available for the detected metals. The analytical results were similar for both surface water samples (Nicholls and Hilgart, 2006a).

Extended-range diesel/oil hydrocarbons, gasoline-range hydrocarbons, PAHs, PCBs, and pesticides were not detected in the surface water samples.

Arsenic, chromium, copper, nickel, and zinc were detected in both of the primary sediment samples at concentrations that exceed the screening levels; concentrations were similar in both samples. Lead was detected at concentrations greater than the screening level in the sample collected at sample station Unnamed Creek 002 (Nicholls and Hilgart, 2006a).

At sample station Unnamed Creek 001, diesel-range hydrocarbons were detected at a concentration of 27 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) and motor oil-range hydrocarbons at 290 mg/kg. The concentrations of diesel-range and motor oil-range hydrocarbons detected in the downstream location (Unnamed Creek 002) were slightly less than concentrations in the upstream sample location (Nicholls and Hilgart, 2006a). Sediment screening levels are not available for diesel-range and motor oil-range hydrocarbons.

Gasoline-range hydrocarbons, PAHs, PCBs, and pesticides were not detected in the sediment samples.

Planned Activities

The Tribe considers this site a moderate priority (Priority B). The following activities are planned for 2006 to 2010:

Conduct semi-annual sampling to monitor surface water and sediment in creeks.
Develop feasibility study to assess waste removal.

Semi-Annual Surface Water and Sediment Monitoring: Surface water and sediment samples will be collected on a semi-annual basis from the intermittent creek that runs along the southern extent of the waste and from Agency Creek; the samples will be analyzed for contaminants of concern.

Feasibility of Waste Removal: Sampling will be conducted to determine the nature and extent of the waste and associated contamination, as well as the physical stability of the refuse and surrounding soil. The feasibility of removing the waste from the site or closing the site with the waste in place will be evaluated based on these factors and other site conditions, such as gradient and access.

Additional Information:

Fact Sheet – Site 1: 200-Line Dump