Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality is backing a plan by the Sunriver Owners Association's to clean up a parcel of land contaminated by asbestos. That paves the way for the owners association to consider plans for a new aquatic center, as David Nogueras reports.

The DEQ is supporting the association's proposed plan is to cap the undeveloped six-acre site with clean soil, concrete and asphalt.

It's expected to cost about $350,000. But removing the asbestos all together would cost about $3 million.

Marcy Kirk is a project manager and hydro-geologist with the DEQ.  She says besides being more cost effective, capping the site will reduce workers' exposure to the cancer-causing material during the cleanup.

Marcy Kirk: "If you could imagine a piece of floor tile or wall board and it's just incorporated into that building material."

Sunriver is a resort community southwest of Bend. The Sunriver Owners Association will vote Saturday on whether to build a $19 million  aquatic center on the site. 

General Manager, Bill Peck says the cost of that project would include the asbestos cleanup. 

Bill Peck: "This aquatic center solves more than just the asbestos problem. It solves the problem our aging 42-year-old aquatic facilities which is important to the community. So we're solving several problems at the same time with this initiative."

One problem the it won't solve, however is the question of who should ultimately shoulder the cost of the clean up.

The contamination is thought to date back to the U.S. Government's ownership of the property during World War II. The owners association filed suit in July against U.S. Government and several other previous owners of the site.

The DEQ, in the meantime will be accepting public comment on the proposal though September 1st.