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National Information |
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Superfund Program
Baxter/Union Pacific Tie Treating
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Site Type: Deleted from the National Priorities List
(NPL) City: Laramie County: Albany Site ID#: WYD061112470 Congressional District(s): At Large |
This narrative is no longer updated because the cleanup is now administered by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ). WDEQ's site cleanup status report is available here. (May 2003)
Site Description
The Union Pacific Railroad's 140-acre tie-treating facility is about a quarter mile south of Laramie, Wyoming, along the Laramie River. The railroad used the site for wood-preserving operations for nearly 100 years. The railroad and its contractor applied creosote and pentachlorophenol (PCP) to railroad ties to protect them from weathering. During this time, wood treating chemicals were spilled and disposed of on the site, contaminating soil and ground water.
In 1983, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed the site on the Superfund
National Priorities List for cleanup. The company agreed to isolate the wastes
and treat ground water so that the contamination would not spread. Among the
cleanup actions were realignment of the Laramie River to reduce the chance of
contamination and construction of an underground slurry wall to isolate the
wastes and prevent the spread of contamination. Additional work to remove and
isolate the sources of contamination will be completed by 2005.
Site Risk
For nearly 100 years, railroad ties were treated with various chemicals at the Baxter/Union Pacific Tie-Treating site south of Laramie. Over time, chemicals were spilled on the ground and leached down into ground water. Also, for about 70 years, workers disposed of wood-treating wastes in storage ponds at the site. Ground water was contaminated beneath some 90 acres of the site.
No one is drinking contaminated ground water. The Laramie water supply is not affected. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ), which regulates the cleanup under RCRA, set ongoing cleanup requirements.
| Media Affected | Contaminants | Source of Contamination |
| Ground water | Wood-treating chemicals | Railroad tie treatment site |
Cleanup Progress
Because the railroad operated the site under a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit, the site is also subject to RCRA corrective action cleanup requirements. In 1988, EPA and the company agreed on requirements for continuing site management under RCRA. In 1999, the Agency removed the site from the National Priorities List.
The cleanup remedy required by WDEQ includes:
- Continued operation of a Contaminant Isolation System (CIS) to keep contaminants on site;
- A water-treatment plant and three wells to remove contamination;
- Continued removal of dense oily liquids from ground water;
- Removal of contaminated debris and soil;
- A topsoil cover on surface soils to prevent any exposure to remaining low-level soil contamination;
- Continued monitoring of the test plots treating soils and debris through phytoremediation (use of native plants);
- Continued monitoring of the Integrated Phytoremediation/Green Belt Project tied in with a recreational trail from Optimist Park to the UPRR site.
The green belt was opened to the public in 2001, ahead of schedule. It includes a park, bike path and walkway linked to another park along the Laramie River. A portion of the original site is maintained for industrial use with restricted-access controls. Union Pacific bought the former Boyd property and filed a restrictive covenant to prevent installation of ground-water wells on the site.
WDEQ determines that construction of all remedies is complete. Potential risks to wildlife are monitored. The final remedy is protective of human health and the environment. It will be reviewed under RCRA by WDEQ every five years.
Community Involvement
Public involvement was a key element in deciding how to reduce risks posed by heavily contaminated portions of the site. Returning a site this size to its original condition was not technically practical. By involving the community throughout the process, EPA and the State were able to develop a workable cleanup plan acceptable to the community.Site Documents
Federal Register Notice of Intent to Delete (PDF)
Actual Deletion
Notice
Contacts
EPA
Tom Alto
Environmental Scientist
U.S. EPA Region 8 (8P-HW)
1595 Wynkoop Street
Denver, CO 80202-1129
303-312-6949
800-227-7917 x6949 (Reg. 8 only)
email: aalto.tom@epa.gov
