Four were dug along Railroad Avenue, one in the railyard, and two on BNSF property near Old Cascade Highway.

The storm drain on 3rd Street will be cleaned out to allow another video inspection; the work should not be invasive or disruptive and will be completed in one day.

Two wells will be re-installed in Railroad Avenue on Monday, December 10. Depending on weather, the work will take one day and traffic should not affected.

Beginning December 12, five test pits will be dug in the public right-of-way along Railroad Avenue to provide more data for the underground hydraulic control and containment system (HCC). Work should take two days, depending on weather. There may be reduced parking along the south side of Railroad Avenue while the pits are dug, but parking and traffic should not be impacted. The test pits will be filled with dirt and re-asphalted if necessary.

The condition of the storm drain line running under 3rd Street will be investigated on Friday, December 7. A camera will be used to look inside the line; the work should not be invasive or disruptive and will be completed in one day. There may be a work vehicle parked at the catch basin near the corner of 3rd Street and Railroad Avenue during the evaluation. Engineers are hoping to see whether the storm drain pipe can be used for discharging clean water from remediation activities.

On Thursday, December 6, a crew will locate utilities along the south side of Railroad Avenue in preparation for digging test pits the week of December 10.

Community meeting @ Maloney's General Store (Thursday, November 29, 6-8 pm)
Learn about cleanup plans for 2008 as described in the draft Engineering Design Report (EDR). The EDR provides information on specific construction activities and impacts, including construction phasing, vehicle access and relocation plans. Impacts such as plans to temporarily close the railroad crossing at 5th Street will also be discussed.

Limited railyard excavation that was scheduled for the week of November 5 has been rescheduled due to some contractual issues. Notice will be provided when a new schedule is available.

Levee planting was completed for all areas above the current water level. The "shoreline zone" is currently underwater, so planting in that area will not be done until the water level goes down in the spring.

Cleanup plans for Skykomish were finalized on October 19. The consent decree, which includes the Cleanup Action Plan, Public Participation Plan, was signed. The Environmental Impact Statement was also finalized as well as the Response to Public Comment. These documents are available in the Documents section of this website and also on the Department of Ecology's website: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/sites/bnsf_sky/bnsf_sky.html. Printed copies are available at the information repository at the Skykomish Library.

Mulching in the former Maloney Creek area was completed on October 18. Mulching is used to control erosion.

Tree and shrub planting began on the levee this week. Coir matting, a natural plant material that is woven into a loose mat, is being used to control erosion on the bank of the levee.

Additional boreholes will be drilled the week of October 22 to provide supplemental information. Boreholes will be drilled along Railroad Avenue and in a few places throughout town. Residents will be notified of drilling on or near their properties.

Grab some food and take a tour of Maloney’s General Store from 6-8 pm. BNSF and Ecology staff will be available to answer questions about the cleanup and consent decree.

Learn about and comment on the 2008 EDR. The EDR contains detailed information on upcoming construction activities. Look for a summary of the 2008 EDR in November.

Pump testing for the hydraulic control and containment system was performed the week of September 17. The Baker tanks will be removed sometime this week.

Baker tanks are needed for pump tests through the week of September 24, but could possibly be demobilized as early as September 21. Observations wells and a pumping well were installed for the pump test.

Drilling on 5th Street and Old Cascade Highway is complete. The flaggers and drillers appreciated your caution when driving around the drilling locations. Borehole drilling will continue in town for approximately one to two more weeks.

The large Baker tanks will be moved to the asphalt parking area west of 5th Street on Wednesday, August 5. The tanks are being used to collect and analyze water during sampling activities. A 'whisper-quiet' generator will be run periodically and overnight at least one night. Work is being coordinated with the Town and school to accommodate their traffic, parking and safety needs.

Borehole drilling on public right-of-way, BNSF property, and on private properties will likely continue through September 14. Residents will be contacted about any work to be done on their properties. Work at each location will take about one to three hours.

Test pits will be dug on the south side of Railroad Avenue on Thursday, 8/16. The pits will be backfilled on the same day and re-paved on Friday, 8/17. Parking will be temporarily interrupted on Thursday - signs and cones will indicate where parking is unavailable.

Boreholes and monitoring wells will be drilled in the public right-of-way and on BNSF property beginning on Monday, July 23, and will take about a week. Traffic and parking should not be highly impacted, and flaggers and cones will be used if needed. Drilling will be noisy, with each drill location taking about an hour or two.

Additional public meetings will be held in July to take public comments and answer questions:
-Tuesday, July 10: Open house and public hearing from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Skykomish School gymnasium
-Thursday, July 12: Public hearing from 10 am to 12 pm at the NWRO Ecology Office in Bellevue
-Saturday, July 14: Availability meeting from 10 am to 12 pm at the Community Center in Skykomish

On Monday, July 9, and Tuesday, July 10, seven monitoring wells will be drilled along West River Road, 6th Street and behind the Teacherage. Drilling will be noisy and residents living near the drilling areas have been contacted. Roads will remain open and parking should not be impacted.

Surveying work in town will begin the week of July 9 and run through the end of July. Surveying will take place Monday through Friday during daylight hours.

On Thursday, July 5, roads in the levee zone area will be “swept” with a wand to locate utilities under the streets. Traffic should not be impacted and roads will remain open.

The final surface paving of West River Road was finished. The temporary access road on the west side of the school used during the levee work will not be demolished at this time; blocks have been placed to prevent use of the road.

Soil Sement, a dust controlling agent, will be applied to parts of the rail yard on Tuesday, June 26. Work is weather dependent and is expected to take at least one day.

The draft Consent Decree, including the Cleanup Action Plan, and the draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) are now available for review and public comment. You can find them in the Documents section of this website or on the Ecology website at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/sites/bnsf_sky/bnsf_sky.html.

The public comment period on the draft cleanup documents begins today and runs through July 14. The first public meeting the present the draft documents is on Wednesday, July 13 from 6 to 8 pm at the Community Center in Skykomish.

Topsoil was placed on the levee last week using a telebelt system, and installation of a sprinkler system is underway.

Topsoil was placed, compacted, and smoothed on all residential properties. Starting today, topsoil will be placed on the levee using a telebelt and air wand to blow soil into spaces between the rock on the levee face. With the recent hot weather and snow melt, river levels are currently two feet above where topsoil is to be placed. Therefore, additional topsoil will be placed when river levels drop.

A temporary railing was installed on the levee.

Walkways on residential properties are complete.

Crushed rock was placed on the levee walkway and the ramp on the east end of the levee was poured. Stone benches and cap stones are in place on top of the levee.

The neighborhood's patterned sidewalks and curbs are finished. Home walkways are scheduled to be poured the week of May 7.

In the next two weeks, further sidewalk, curb, and other restoration work is scheduled to be completed.

As work on the Skykomish levee nears completion, the cleanup team wants to know how the 2006 cleanup affected residents, visitors, and other people who were involved. Please take the time to respond to questions on the comment form, which you can mail in or drop off at Town Hall in Skykomish. Comments can also be provided by emailing info@skykomishcleanup.com, or by calling the cleanup hotline at (800) 228-1849.

Construction of the concrete block retaining wall on the south side of the levee began this week.

Restoration activities such as final grading and pavement, and gutter and sidewalk installation will be completed during the spring as weather permits.