Aluminum Company of America Class II Inspection

The objectives of the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) Class II Inspection was to verify effluent compliance with NPDES permit (NPDES Permit No. WA-000029-9), determine effluent toxicity using a suite of bioassays, identify possible chemical pollutants in selected inplant wastewaters, settling lagoon influent and lagoon effluent samples with a priority pollutant scan, assess the impact of the industrial discharge on the receiving water sediments with chemical analysis for priority pollutants and toxicity testing using a Hyallela bioassay, review Alcoa laboratory procedures to determine conformance to standard techniques and advance state-of-the-art compliance inspections by contributing to ongoing developmental efforts with centrifugation (Zinner 1990).

Samples of water and sediments were taken at each effluent and influent location and upstream and downstream from the facility. The area of study was Lower Columbia River - Vancouver Sample consisted of a composite of six grab samples. The samples were mixed thoroughly and then divided for separate analysis.