OSWER/OSRTI 

Washington, DC 20460 

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL) 

***Proposed Site*** September 2011 

BREMERTON GASWORKS Bremerton, Washington 

Kitsap County 

 Site Location: 

The Bremerton Gasworks site is located Bremerton, Washington along the Port Washington Narrows. The site is 

approximately three and a half acres in size and is located approximately a mile and a half from downtown Bremerton. 

 Site History: 

The Bremerton Gasworks site was a coal gasification plant which operated at the site from 1930 to 1963. The plant 

provided natural gas to customers in the City of Bremerton. From 1963 to 1985 the site was used for petroleum storage. 

The gasification plant, boiler and aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) were removed sometime between 1985 and 1993. The 

site is currently used for commercial purposes and some light industry. 

 Site Contamination/Contaminants: 

Various contaminants have been detected within upland sources, ground water beneath the site, and within the Washington 

Narrows sediments. Site contaminants include coal gas tars which are associated with coal gasification processes used at 

the former facility. Coal gas tars contain carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Heavy metals and benzene, among other 

contaminants, were also found at the site. A pipe that was releasing contaminants associated with coal gas tars was present 

along the beach at the site. Upland sources include soil contamination to a depth of approximately 30 feet with contaminant 

concentrations as high as 2,400 times the EPA Regional Screening Levels (RSLs). Ground water beneath the site is also 

contaminated. Sediments in the Washington Narrows adjacent to the site contain concentrations of contaminants as high as 

70 times the Adverse Effects Levels set forth in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Screening 

Quick Reference Table. 

 Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: 

Site sources are potentially contaminating the Washington Narrows, a part of Puget Sound which has been designated a 

national priority as one of the Nation’s great water bodies. Two species of federally listed endangered or threatened fish are 

present in the vicinity of the site. Puget Sound is also used as a sport and commercial fishery. The Suqamish Tribe has also 

used the area as a subsistence fishery. 

 Response Activities (to date): 

In the fall of 2010, the US Coast Guard issued an order to Cascade Natural Gas to remove a pipe that was spilling coal 

gas tars into the Washington Narrows. Forty feet of pipe were removed and the pipe was plugged. Contaminated 

sediments adjacent to the pipe were also removed. In addition, visibly contaminated sediments were covered with 

organo-clay mats and clean beach materials which serve as a temporary cap. The removal action did not address the 

majority of contaminated sediments, upland sources or contaminated ground water. 

 Need for NPL Listing: 

The Washington State Department of Ecology has requested that EPA be the lead regulatory agency for this site. The scope 

and complexity of the site contamination require an NPL listing and subsequent investigation to address site sources, 

ground water and sediments. EPA received a letter from the state supporting the listing of the site on the NPL. 

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change 

as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination.] 

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these 

substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet 

at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.