Environmental

A Washington property's soil test reveals elevated arsenic levels. In Washington, arsenic contamination in soil is most commonly associated with:

ADry-cleaning operations

BFormer orchard operations (pesticide use) and smelter fallout✓ Correct

CUnderground oil storage

DHighway deicing salts

Explanation

Arsenic contamination in Washington soils is commonly associated with historical agricultural use of lead arsenate pesticides in orchards (particularly in Eastern Washington) and industrial sources like the former ASARCO smelter in Tacoma.

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Key Terms to Know

Zoning

Local government regulations that control land use by dividing areas into zones specifying permitted uses, building sizes, and densities.

Variance

Official permission to use land in a way that does not conform to the applicable zoning ordinance, granted by a zoning board when strict enforcement would cause undue hardship.

Eminent Domain

The power of government to take private property for public use, with the requirement to pay the owner just compensation.

Adverse Possession

A doctrine by which a person can gain legal title to another's land by openly, continuously, and adversely occupying it for a statutory period.