~36G4077534 

STATE OF WASHINGTON 

DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY 

IN THE MATTER OF COMPLIANCE BY 

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation 

Mead Works 

With Chapter 70.94 RCW and the Rules and 

Regulations of the Department of Ecology 

To: M~JGregGorton 

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation 

Mead Works 

2111 E Hawthorne Road 

Mead, WA 99021-9517 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

Order No. DE 01 AQIS-3285 

Amendment 111 

RCW 70.94.011, RCW 70.94.331(5), and RCW 70.94.141(3) provide the Department of 

Ecology the authority to issue orders to enforce the Washington Clean Air Act. WAC 175-

475 sets statewide ambient air quality standards for carbon monoxide (CO), which are 

equivalent to federal health based standards. 

Spokane was already designated nonattainment for CO when the 1990 Amendments to the 

Clean Air Act were enacted on November 15, 1990. Spokane was classified ~moderate" 

because the area had higher CO concentrations than the standards set by WAC 175-475. 

Because of violations of the CO standard in 1995, Spokane was reclassified to "serious" and 

required to submit a revised State Implementation Plan (SIP) that met additional nonattainment 

requirements to ensure that the area would meet the CO standard. The Department updated 

the SIP for Spokane to meet these requirements. As part of this update, the Department 

requested that Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation model CO concentrations from its 

Mead Works, which is located within the Spokane CO nonattainment area. 

After evaluating the air quality modeling results, the Department found that modeling 

predicted that the highest concentrations would near the CO standard. Therefore, the 

Department required via order No. DEAQIS-3285, that Kaiser set an ambient air monitoring 

station at the location of the highest modeled CO concentration to verify continuing 

attainment of the CO standard. 

In December 2000, Kaiser fully curtailed its primary aluminum production operations at its Mead 

Work due to market and power availability conditions. In October 2001, the Department ordered 

Kaiser to begin ambient air monitoring for CO at the highest modeled CO concentration location. 

Due to the continued full curtailment of the facility, the Department approved a nearby existing 

ambient air monitoring location of Kaiser's as being satisfactory for gathering background 

ambient CO concentration levels until primary aluminum production was resumed. An ambient 

CO monitor began operation at the Fairview Station in May 2001. 

For these reasons, and in accordance with RCW 70.94.141(3), IT IS ORDERED that Kaiser 

Aluminum & Chemical Corporation's Mead Works take the following actions: 

1. After operation of the ambient CO monilor at the Fairview Station through April2003, 

exercise. if desired, the option to terminate the collection of data at this Station. 

I 
'\,) : ~604077 34 

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation 

Order No. DE 01AQIS·3285 

Page 2 of2 

2. Within 30 days of the date of the resumption of primary aluminum production at the 

Mead Works, request the Department's approval of a site located at the top of the hill 

lying between Fairview Road to the northwest and Gerlach Road to the southeast for a 

CO monitoring station. 

3. Within 60 days of the date of the Department's approval of a site, install and maintain an 

ambient CO monitoring station at the site approved by the Department. The monitor 

shall be operated and maintained as described in the Washington State Department of 

Ecology Air Monitoring Quality Assurance Plan and Procedures Manual 1195-201. 

4. Report CO monitoring data with its monthly air monitoring report. Any excursions above 

the CO standards shall be reported to the Department by E-mail within a week of their 

occurrence. 

Failure to comply with this Order may result in the issuance of civil penalties or other 

actions, whether administrative or judicial, to enforce the terms of this Order. 

This Order may be appealed. Your appeal must be filed with the Pollution Control Hearings 

Board, PO Box 40903, Olympia, Washington 98504-0903 within thirty (30) days of your 

receipt of this Order. 

Your appeal must also be sent to the Department of Ecology c/o the Industrial Section. PO 

Box 47600, Olympia, Washington 98504-7600. Your appeal alone wilt not stay the 

effectiveness of this Order. Stay requests must be submitted in accordance with RCW 

43.21 B.320. These procedures are consistent with ch.43.21 B RCW. 

Dated this 9th day of April 2003 at Lacey, Washington. 

Carol Kraege, P.E. . U 

Industrial Section Manager 

Solid and Financial Assistance Program 

# , 1 /' 1 , 

I