Umatilla River – Pendleton, OR
A train derailment near Pendleton, Oregon resulted in the release of 10,000 gallons of toluene in a farmer’s field within a few hundred feet of the Umatilla River. CRETE principals responded to the spill as part of an organized spill response program.
Due to salvage and mainline restoration activities, initial cleanup activities included interceptor trenches and limited pumping to prevent discharges to the river. Shortly thereafter, air sparging systems were installed in the open trenches to encourage soil and groundwater treatment. After initial response efforts, the air sparging groundwater treatment system was converted to a well point system to address impacts downgradient of the excavated source area.
The Umatilla River is designated as a “wild and scenic river” and fish populations were being reestablished by a joint effort of farmers (reducing irrigation water extraction), the Umatilla Indian Tribe, and various state agencies. In the two weeks leading up to the spill, about 2,000,000 smolt had been released to the river. Recognizing these issues, an aquatic biologist was flown to the site, where they coordinated daily meetings with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Umatilla Indian Tribe, the EPA and other interested parties, and allowed these parties limited access to the site.
The site was cleaned up within 8 months and delisted within 2 years. Costs were reduced by avoiding claims and fines, limiting long-term operations and monitoring of remediation systems, and by managing the excavated source area soil “on site.” Total costs savings were in excess of $3 million.
Work Performed
- Regulatory negotiations – DEQ, EPA
- Upland RI/FS
- Petroleum upland cleanup
- Construction oversight
- Insurance cost recovery
Value Added
- Rapid response prevented discharges to the river and prevented fines and resource damage claims
- Prevented fiber-optics line failure due to chemical compatibility issues
- Appropriate definition of the “site” allowed on-site treatment of listed wastes
- Treatment of U220 listed soil avoided incineration and allowed use of soil as clean fill
- Treatment of U220 listed groundwater allowed reuse for irrigation
- Cleanup of the site occurred within 8 months and the site was delisted within 2 years
CRETE principals subcontracted to a civil engineering firm to perform a Phase I environmental site assessment associated with the design of a significant utility and right-of-way enhancement project. The project was for a 2-mile stretch of a commercial business district with stormwater outfall to a salmon-bearing stream. The purpose of the assessment was to determine and map all known and suspected soil and groundwater impacts along the project. Based on the assessment, the following modifications were made to the utility design plan:
CRETE principals performed cleanup and restoration of an urban park and prepared an RI/FS for the lake sediment. The 25-acre public park was created in the mid-1970s and retained many of the former industrial structures.
New Wilson Ford car dealership. Although car dealership activities led to certain environmental conditions (leaking UST and abandoned oil-water separator), the primary environmental concern at the site was a chlorinated solvent groundwater plume originating off-site.
expand operations by constructing a large pipe rolling mill on their property. In order to make the planned new pipe rolling mill work efficiently, rail service to the mill needed to be rerouted into the location of two existing inert material landfills. At the same time, the mill was involved with the agency to undergo a voluntary source control process to limit their input into the Portland Harbor Superfund Site. CRETE principals provided engineering, environmental, geotechnical and permitting services to modify the two solid waste landfills and managed design and construction of end of pipe stormwater treatment as a source control measure on the site.
cleanup of this brownfield redevelopment project at a former wood-treating site on Lake Washington. CRETE principals completed the RI/FS, Cleanup Action Plan, Consent Decree, Engineering Design Report, and design plans and specification for cleanup of the property. Remediation on the property consisted of: