Joint filing on Palouse Brownsfield cleanup

The City of Palouse and the state’s Department of Ecology have received a court order for a prospective consent decree for purchase of contaminated property along Main Street in Palouse. The city and Department of Ecology filed a joint motion for the court decree for the property which has been the object of a “Brownsfield” cleanup operation on Main Street in Palouse.

The 28-page filing spells out provisions for the purchase of the property including hold harmless clauses related to city or state actions or omissions which could some day be brought in a suit.

Palouse is in the process of acquiring the property from U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The site was the former Palouse Producers site from 1977 until 1985. Prior to that it was the site of a Conoco Service station from 1955 until 1977. Contaminants at the site are believed to include gasoline, diesel, benzene, arsenic, lead and manganese, according to the court filing. Palouse Producers filed for bankruptcy in March of 1986.

The motion for the consent decree was signed by James Pendowski, program manager for the state’s toxic cleanup program, and Palouse Mayor Michael Echanove.