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Home My WebLink About2023-10-03 Council Meeting Site History and Revised Cleanup Plan Union Pacific Railroad – Former Ashland Rail Yard ECSI #1146 Ashland City Council Meeting Oct. 3, 2023 Margaret Oscilia | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Outline Location Site background Photos History Supplemental Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study New cleanup plan Impacted Areas Cleanup considerations Estimated project timeline Questions Site vicinity map Total historic Southern Pacific parcel was approximately 21 acres. Former rail yard parcel is 11.7 acres. Photo of Site – Facing southeast from Clear Creek Drive Photo of Clear Creek Drive – Facing east Photo of Williamson Way – Facing west Photo North of A Street – Facing west-northwest Site use •1887-1986 Locomotive fueling, maintenance, and Retention Ponds railcar repair. –Petroleum hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic Bunker C Tank hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals •1980s Most buildings Roundhouse removed. Turntable •Railroad is currently active but Engine Pit the rail yard is undeveloped and inactive. DEQ Voluntary Cleanup Program Releases •Contaminants released and reported. •Responsible party works under DEQ oversight. Exposure •Extent of contamination is determined. •Contaminants of concern are identified. •Risks to human health and environment are evaluated. Solutions •Protective cleanup levels are determined. •Cleanup plans are evaluated and selected. •DEQ confirms when cleanup is complete. Impacted areas Uninvestigated area: No historical use by railroad. Not included in cleanup. •Soil –Petroleum compounds from bunker C fuel and diesel –Lead and arsenic –PAHs •Shallow groundwater 8.7-acre west area: –Petroleum compounds Shallow (< 3 feet) in from bunker C fuel and various locations diesel –arsenic 3-acre east area: Shallow and deep (up to 9 feet) in multiple locations Cleanup history 20012010-2013 2018-present New site data collected and Revised cleanup using railcars. Initial cleanup plan evaluated. developed and Record of Not completed due to Current revised cleanup plan is discrepancies in a property deed Decision. proposed. restriction. Deed restriction modified. Revised property deed restriction Initial cleanup plan not with City. completed. New federal cleanup standards Community concern about set in 2018 and require less soil excessive truck traffic.removal. 20062016-2018 2021 Supplemental Remedial Investigation/ Feasibility Study (RI/FS) •Re-evaluated risks based on new site data, current toxicity values, and likely future exposure area settings. •Defined areas where cleanup is required. •Established objectives of the clean-up based on likely future use. •Evaluated cleanup alternatives. •Recommended a preferred cleanup alternative for the site. Four cleanup plan options Alternative 1 – No Action •Required to consider by rule. •No action to reduce contaminants. •Not protective. Alternative 2 - Excavation and Offsite Disposal of Shallow and Deep Soil •Excavate and remove soil from entire 11.7 acres exceeding site-specific screening levels. •Removal by rail car. •No engineering controls. •Deed restriction for single-family residential use. Four cleanup plan options (cont’d) Alternative 3 – Excavation and Offsite Disposal of Shallow Soil and institutional Controls •Excavate and remove shallow soil from entire 11.7 acres exceeding site-specific screening levels. •Deed restriction for site use. •Deep impacted soil left on eastern 3 acres. •Additional deed restrictions required on eastern 3 acres. Alternative 4 – Excavation, Consolidation, Vegetated Soil Cap and Institutional Controls •Shallow soil exceeding site-specific screening levels excavated from western 8.7 acres. •Deed restriction for site use. •Excavated soil placed in low areas on eastern 3 acres. •Soil and vegetated cap on eastern 3 acres. •Additional deed restrictions required on eastern 3 acres. Evaluated 6 balancing factors 1) Effectiveness •Alt. 2 – Shallow and deep soil removal - most effective at providing protection. •However, all alternatives adequately manage risks. 2) Long-term reliability •Alt. 2 is most reliable because less reliance on institutional controls. •Alt. 4 –Excavation, consolidation, soil cap –relies more on engineering and institutional controls. •However, these types of controls are common at former commercial sites. 3) Implementability •Alt. 4 is easiest to implement. •Requires less soil removal and no export off site. Evaluation of 6 balancing factors (cont’d) 4) Implementation Risks •Alt. 2 and Alt. 3 (shallow soil excavation) have more short-term implementation risks than Alt. 4. •Alt. 2 and Alt. 3 require construction of a new rail spur and transportation off site. •Alt. 2 would require shoring for deep excavation. 5) Reasonableness of Cost •Alt. 2 ~ $7,240,000 •Alt. 3 ~ $5,800,000 •Alt. 4 ~ $1,960,000 6) Sustainability/green remediation •Alt. 4 would have the least amount of greenhouse gas emissions - reduced truck/locomotive exhaust and fuel burned •No waste generated with Alt. 4. Cleanup considerations Single-family residential development is not an option •Current zoning is mixed commercial-residential. •Surrounding development is all mixed commercial and high-density residential. •City has indicated a preference for a mixed-use community. Soil removal from eastern 3-acre area is not practical •Large quantities of soil would need to be removed by truck or rail. •High degree of uncertainty in soil volume and cost. •Benefits of soil removal don't outweigh cost and implementation downsides. •Protectiveness can be achieved by consolidation, capping and deed restrictions. Most practical and focused cleanup scenario: •Two separate exposure areas: 8.7 acres (west) and 3 acres (east). •Most likely future exposure scenario: Urban residential. •Both areas cannot be subdivided or change use without DEQ approval. DEQ review recommended alternative •DEQ accepted the recommended Alternative 4 (excavation, consolidation and capping) and proposed cleanup plan in 2021. •In 2022, DEQ prepared a recommendation for the current proposed cleanup plan in the Revised Recommended Remedial Action. •Revised Recommended Remedial Action went out for public comment in October 2022. Cleanup plan Minimum 1.5 ft soil removed •About 2,700 cubic yards of soil excavated from western area and consolidated in eastern area. •Clean backfill/topsoil for excavations delivered by side-dump railcars for entire site. •One-foot clean soil cap on eastern area. •Entire site hydroseeded with native plants. •Eastern area will be fenced and have a deed restriction. Conceptual vegetated soil cap Native vegetation 1-foot minimum topsoil Imported clean fill Consolidated soil Existing soil Institutional controls For the entire 11.7 acres •DEQ review and approve any request to subdivide or develop either the western 8.7-acres or the eastern 3- acres. •Allow urban-residential/commercial site use. For the capped 3 acres •Site management plan for cap maintenance and guide future development. •DEQ review and approve of proposed activities that would affect the cap. Potential site use after cleanup 11.7 acres ready for urban-residential mixed use •Living spaces may be on ground floor or higher. •Commercial spaces may be on the ground floor. More cleanup allowed if change in site use •DEQ oversight if subdivided. •More cleanup can happen if site use changes to single-family residential. Examples of capped sites Capped sites in Oregon •Mill Casino in North Bend along Coos Bay; •Portions of Riverfront City Park in Salem; •Suburban park in Tigard; •Bridgeport Village shopping center in Tigard; and •A former lumber yard ready for re-development in Sweet Home. Former UPRR sites with soil caps •An abandoned right of way into a 74-mile-long bike trail for recreational use in northern Idaho; •One property redeveloped with a manufacturing site, community visitor center and sheriff’s office; and •A soccer field complex. Estimated timeline Sept. – Oct. Winter 2023Spring 2024Fall 2024 2023 Public meeting to Complete Remedial Solicit bids from Complete cleanup discuss proposed Action and Remedial contractorsactivities cleanup planDesign Work Plan Sign Record of Complete remedial Commence cleanup Decisiondesignactivities Winter Fall 2023Summer 2024 2023-2024 Questions Visit the Ashland Railyard page for more information: ordeq.org/AshlandRailYardInfo Send questions or comments by 5 p.m. Oct. 31, 2023 to: margaret.oscilia@deq.oregon.gov