Tracking Petroleum Contamination on Right-of-Ways and Easements
Problem Statement
Contamination from leaking underground storage tanks that remains after cleanup activities is often tracked by deed restrictions (aka environmental covenants) filed with the local county’s auditor’s office. These restrictions are tied to the property to alert current and future property owners that:
- Contamination is present.
- Safety precautions are needed if the ground is disturbed for construction or additional cleanup actions.
- Certain uses of the property are restricted without approval from PLIA.
Many publicly owned rights-of-way or easements are not parceled, so deed restrictions are not viable for tracking residual contamination. And if the cleanup is delayed until utility upgrades or road construction, it can be difficult to determine where contamination remains and who is responsible for its cleanup.
Proposal
PLIA received a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to pilot a system to:
- Transparently and effectively track petroleum-contaminated land that cannot be effectively managed using deed restrictions.
- Ensure that cities, counties, and state agencies can easily look up known petroleum contamination on non-parceled land and identify those responsible for its cleanup.
Invitation
PLIA requests your feedback to ensure the system we develop provides you with needed information about petroleum contamination on non-parceled land.
We are hosting a hybrid, in-person (500 Columbia St. NW, Olympia, WA) and virtual meeting on February 28 at 1:00 pm.
Please RSVP to pliamail@plia.wa.gov and indicate your meeting preference. We will send you either a building access code or virtual meeting link.
If you cannot attend, please provide feedback directly to pliamail@plia.wa.gov.