PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PLAN FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP

Transcription

1 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PLAN FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP Former Southern Pacific Rail Yard Ashland, Oregon updated April 13, 2006 Greg Aitken, Project Manager Cleanup Program Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

2 Public Involvement Plan for Environmental Cleanup Former Southern Pacific Rail Yard Ashland, Oregon Updated April 13, 2006 This plan has been developed by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for public involvement in on-going environmental cleanup work at the former Southern Pacific Rail Yard (Yard) in Ashland. The Yard is currently owned by the Union Pacific Railroad Company (UPRR) and UPRR is managing the site cleanup work. Since 1993, UPRR and its predecessor, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company (SPRR), have been voluntarily investigating soil and groundwater contamination at the Ashland Yard and planning its cleanup under the supervision of the DEQ. Plans to implement the final Yard cleanup have been postponed for several years by UPRR until recently, when the sale of the property was negotiated with a buyer. UPRR now plans to undertake the final cleanup of the Yard in mid-2006, after executing a Remedial Decision/Remedial Action Agreement with DEQ during the spring of DEQ believes that public involvement is an integral component of a successful environmental cleanup. Public involvement programs ensure that people who live and/or work in the communities surrounding cleanup sites have opportunities for participation in the environmental decision-making process. An effective public involvement program should enable concerned citizens to participate in the process of restoring the environment at the Yard, and should responsibly address any public concerns about threats or perceived threats to personal health and welfare. Concerns of the public must be addressed early, openly, and consistently to secure confidence in the process and the outcome. Previous public involvement efforts related to the Ashland Yard have included public information meetings held in 1992, 1994, and DEQ hosted a formal public comment period in 2000 before deciding on the final cleanup plan for the Yard. A document repository containing major project reports was established at the Ashland Public Library in This public involvement plan serves as a blueprint for public information and participation during the Yard s cleanup. It identifies the process for identifying the public s concerns relating to the project and site cleanup, and suggests ways that those responsible for the cleanup will respond to those concerns. It should also be considered a work in progress; the plan is subject to modification based on the community s needs. I. Objectives The objectives of the public involvement program for the cleanup of the Yard are to:

3 Page 3 Public Involvement Plan for Ashland Rail Yard Cleanup April 6, Update information regarding community concerns, ideas, and options relevant to the cleanup; 2. Re-establish relationships with the community and provide opportunity for community involvement; 3. Provide health and safety information about environmental impacts and the cleanup work to potentially affected persons and nearby residents. II. Project Overview The Yard is located on a 27-acre parcel of land along A Street in downtown Ashland. While a variety of historical operations were once carried out at the yard, the yard is currently vacant except for a groundwater recovery and treatment system located adjacent to the locomotive refueling area. Several building foundations remain at the site, but all above ground structures have been removed. The Yard operated between 1887 and 1986 as a locomotive maintenance and railcar repair facility. Various structures including a hotel/passenger station, freight station, car repair shed, turntable, roundhouse, and miscellaneous work and storage buildings were once present at the site. A 55,000-barrel aboveground Bunker C fuel oil tank was installed at the site around 1900 and removed in the late 1940s. Most locomotive maintenance and fueling facilities were decommissioned before All facilities related to the rail yard have since been removed. A few concrete foundations remain. Two active rail lines pass adjacent to the site. During installation of locomotive refueling drip slabs in the mid-1980s, Southern Pacific encountered ballast, soil and shallow groundwater impacted by former fueling operations. Contaminated soil and ballast were removed to the saturated zone at approximately 3.5 feet below ground surface. Nine passive product recovery wells were then installed in the downgradient direction to remove floating product from the shallow groundwater zone. Material removed from the nine wells is pumped to an oil/water separator. Recovered oil is pumped to an above ground storage tank and treated water is discharged to a pond constructed of earth and clay. The whole treatment area is fenced. Southern Pacific Environmental Systems separated the site into three parcels and completed preliminary site assessment reports for each parcel in early Based on this work, DEQ issued a No Further Action finding for Parcel 1 located along the southeastern property boundary. Both Parcel 1 and Parcel 2, located along the southwestern property boundary, were subsequently sold. Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments were performed on the eastern two acres of Parcel 3, the remaining portion of the site, in 1992 for a potential purchaser of that property. While the sale was never completed, the investigation helped identify potential soil and groundwater contamination related to past locomotive refueling operations at the site. DEQ reviewed and approved a remedial investigation (RI) Report in 1999, which identified contaminant source areas and extent. This report included a risk assessment

4 Page 4 Public Involvement Plan for Ashland Rail Yard Cleanup April 6, 2006 that evaluated the degree of risk posed by site contamination to human health and the environment. The results of this work served as the basis for UPRR s Feasibility Study report, completed by UPRR in 1999 to evaluate and recommend the best methods for Yard cleanup. DEQ selected the final cleanup recommendation in a 2001 Record of Decision after soliciting public comments on a DEQ Staff Report. III. Human Health and Environmental Concerns The human health concerns at the Yard include lead, arsenic, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in site soils exceeding DEQ s risk-based standards for possible future residential land use of the Yard. Groundwater contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons was identified, but was determined to not require cleanup because shallow groundwater onsite has no known beneficial use and there is no evidence of contaminants migrating into off-site groundwater. Long-term ecological risks from site contamination were not identified. IV. Audience for Public Involvement Process The public involvement program for the Ashland Yard cleanup will focus on all parties who are potentially affected, or perceive that they are potentially affected, by the Yard s environmental impacts. For the purpose of developing a mailing list for public outreach materials (e.g., fact sheets), DEQ assumes that all owners and occupants of properties included in the area shown on Figure 2 fit this criterion, at a minimum. DEQ will consult with the city of Ashland staff for advice on refining these geographic limits for direct mailings about the project. V. Plan Implementation DEQ will be responsible for performing the following tasks as part of implementing the public involvement program for the Ashland Yard cleanup: 1. Maintain an updated project website for timely, updated, and publicly accessible project information at: Key components of this website will include: project background, description of contaminant hazards, key documents,maps and photos, links to project partners and stakeholders, media coverage, and contact info. 2. Prepare and maintain a mailing list of local community members that fit the criteria outlined in Section IV above, including owners and occupants of the properties identified within the geographic area shown on Figure 2;

5 Page 5 Public Involvement Plan for Ashland Rail Yard Cleanup April 6, Prepare fact sheets concerning the Yard s cleanup project status for mailing to all individuals included in the mailing list prepared in (1) above; 3. Notify all public involvement program participants of meetings, milestones, and project schedules; 4. Initiate and facilitate a public meeting; provide written information as hand-outs at these meetings; 5. Respond appropriately to any concerns or issues raised by members of the local community; and 6. Monitor the public involvement process to ensure that questions of concerned citizens are appropriately answered. To determine specifically how to communicate with the local community, DEQ will consider the following issues in consultation with city of Ashland officials: Audience preferences: DEQ will inquire with local community residents and city government officials regarding community preferences for being involved in the Ashland Yard cleanup. DEQ will refine the public involvement program to account for these preferences. Amount of interaction needed: if community members wish to have increased involvement, then DEQ will increase the level of public interaction, as feasible. To ensure that the concerns of local community members are heard, DEQ may use the following methods as necessary to solicit feedback and provide information: Telephone calls to community leaders; Informal meetings with individual community members; Interactive workshops; Electronic mail or message board to solicit input on specific issues. VI. Content DEQ will provide information about the cleanup to the local community consistent with the following criteria: Information wanted (requested) by local community and local government officials; Information that is likely to be misunderstood if not clearly explained; Information deemed important by DEQ, UPRR, and/or the City of Ashland.

6 Page 6 Public Involvement Plan for Ashland Rail Yard Cleanup April 6, 2006 DEQ staff will pay particular attention to ensuring that technical information is presented in plain English, in a manner that makes it understandable and accessible to the lay public. In response to anticipated public involvement in the Ashland Yard cleanup, DEQ will be prepared in advance to address a number of common issues that typically arise during public discussions about site cleanup, including the following questions: What are the potential hazards from site contaminants? What is being cleaned up and why? What regulations govern the cleanup process? How will the site be cleaned up? How will contaminated soil be handled and transported? Who will clean the site up, and how will it be used afterwards? When will the site be cleaned up, and how long will it take? What opportunities are there for community input? What can we do if we don't like the answers? Are there other groups I can contact who have been through this process? What sort of support is there for communities in our situation? VII. Roles for Implementing Plan In collaboration with the City of Ashland and UPRR, DEQ staff will be responsible for preparing and implementing the public involvement plan for the final cleanup. Depending on the nature of the inquiries and issues raised by community members, representatives from DEQ, the City of Ashland, and UPRR will be prepared to respond directly. The roles of specific staff are identified below: Greg Aitken, DEQ: Implement and manage the public involvement plan; facilitate communication between DEQ, UPRR, and the City of Ashland regarding public involvement and the cleanup work; serve as the primary point-of-contact between DEQ and members of the local community, Accessibility will be ensured during construction work;

7 Page 7 Public Involvement Plan for Ashland Rail Yard Cleanup April 6, 2006 Angie Obery, DEQ: UP Representative: Interpret and communicate toxicological information; lead role in risk communication;? (e.g., daily or weekly project status reporting during construction activities, onsite point-of-contact for local government officials and media personnel during construction?) Ann Seltzer, city of Ashland: Advise on implementation of the public involvement plan for ensuring that community needs are met during cleanup planning and implementation. UPRR s representatives will be given an opportunity to review drafts of all written materials used in the public involvement process, before they are distributed to the local community. DEQ and UPRR will also hold private meetings (as necessary) prior to the community meeting(s) to discuss the information to be presented, meeting agenda, roles, and anticipate questions that may be asked. DEQ will respond to UPRR s comments on drafts of written materials either by modifying these materials as appropriate or rejecting UPRR s comments with explanation. VIII. Schedule DEQ will proceed with implementation of the public involvement plan for the UPRR cleanup consistent with the following tentative schedule: Apr 27, 2006: finalize project website and post on DEQ s internet web server; Apr 27, 2006: complete final public involvement plan and post on website; May 15, 2006: finalize fact sheet about cleanup plans and distribute; Early summer, 2006: host public information meeting and site walk; late summer, 2006: provide weekly construction status updates via electronic newsletter to any interested party; Fall 2006: finalize fact sheet about cleanup progress and distribute; undertake 30-day public comment period for DEQ proposal to issue certificate of completion to UPRR. late 2006: project completed; DEQ grants certificate of completion to UPRR. If necessary, the schedule may be modified by DEQ and UPRR depending on public response or completion of key project milestones by UPRR. The public involvement program will proceed through the duration of UPRR s cleanup work, until DEQ s issuance of a Certificate of Completion to UPRR anticipated by the end of 2006.

8 April 2006 Dear Neighbor: This summer, the Union Pacific Railroad intends to begin cleaning the railroad property in Ashland in preparation for the sale of the property. On Monday, May 1, Greg Aitken from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will speak to the council about the cleanup requirements and the specific actions that UPRR will take to bring the property to residential standards. Aitken will also present to the council the draft public involvement plan developed to keep you and all Ashland citizens apprised of the activities. Since you are neighbors of this property, you are receiving this letter inviting you to attend the study session and to learn more about this project from DEQ. The meeting will occur at 5:15 p.m. in the council chambers at 1175 East Main Street on Monday, May 1. Study sessions are informal meetings and provide an opportunity for the council to learn about issues and to ask questions of staff or other presenters. Sincerely, Ann Seltzer, Management Analyst and staff liaison to the project City of Ashland CC: Ashland City Council Gino Grimaldi, City Administrator Bill Molnar, Interim Community Development Director

9 December 15, 2005 Mike Sattler Union Pacific Railroad 1800 Farnum Street Omaha, NE Dear Mr. Sattler: Greg Aitken from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has notified us that Union Pacific plans to move forward with a full-scale cleanup of the Union Pacific property located in central Ashland. As you probably know, that piece of property is the last and largest piece of undeveloped land in Ashland. The city is very interested in seeing it develop in a manner that compliments and enhances the exceptional design standards of our downtown core located just a few blocks from the railroad property. Our downtown is the heart of our community and reflects the high quality of life that we enjoy. As such, we are very interested in working with the developers early in the planning process to ensure that their objectives are in tandem with the desires of our community and land use code. Please convey to interested developers that we would like to be included in any dialogues as they develop their concepts and designs for that location. I understand that Union Pacific hopes to have the property ready for sale in the fall of The City may be interested in purchasing a few acres and would like to be considered as a potential buyer as you move forward in your process. The City is eager to work closely with Union Pacific and DEQ prior to and during the cleanup. As you can imagine, the cleanup will be a dusty and noisy process and residents in the immediate area as well as those along the truck route will be directly affected. We would be happy to help get the word out to those residents and the entire community about the cleanup as the project begins to take shape and throughout the ensuing weeks. Thank you in advance for keeping the city in the loop for this very important and significant project in our community. If you have any questions, please contact me directly at or by at morrisonj@ashland.or.us. You may also feel free to contact our staff liaison to the project, Ann Seltzer at or via at ann@ashland.or.us. I believe you have previously spoken with her by phone. Sincerely, John Morrison, Mayor CC:Gary Honeyman Environmental Site Remediation Group Union Pacific Railroad 221 Hodgeman Street Laramie, WY Ashland City Council Greg Aitken Project Manager & Hydrogeologist Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 1102 Lincoln Street, #210 Eugene, OR Bill Molnar, Interim Community Development Director

10 March 22, 2006 Greg Aitken Project Manager & Hydrologist Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 1102 Lincoln Street, #210 Eugene, OR Dear Mr Aitken: I am writing in regards to the proposed full-scale cleanup of the Union Pacific Railroad property in Ashland. I understand that you have not yet received a remedial action work plan from Union Pacific. When you do, I ask that Ashland be considered and consulted as the plan takes shape. We have a very active and involved citizenry and it is critical that our community have the opportunity to participate and weigh in on the final work plan. As you can imagine, the cleanup will be a dusty and noisy process and residents in the immediate area as well as those along the truck route will be directly affected. Further, our community swells with visitors during the summer months as do our traffic counts. As such, we will want to work with UP to determine the most efficient routes for the trucks and which will have the least impact on the community. In addition we will want to weigh in on the proposed daily work schedules and time lines. Finally, like other communities, we have specific permit requirements for excavation; grading, tree protection; water quality, soil erosion etc. and we will want to ensure that UP is fully aware of our local requirements. We will be happy to assist UP in getting the word out to the community about the cleanup as the project begins to take shape and throughout the ensuing weeks. Thank you in advance for keeping the city in the loop for this very important and significant project in our community. If you have any question, please contact me directly at or be at morrisonj@ashalnd.or.us. You may also feel free to contact our staff liaison to the project, Ann Seltzer at or by at ann@ashland.or.us. Please keep us involved as the plan moves forward. Sincerely, John Morrison, Mayor CC:Ashland City Council Gino Grimaldi, City Administrator Ann Seltzer, Management Analyst Bill Molnar, Interim Community Development Director