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Environmental Cleanup Site Information (ECSI) Database
Site Summary Full Report - Details for Site ID 4065, UPRR Diesel Spill - Rowena

This report shows data entered as of June 19, 2013 at 12:19:50 PM

This report contains site details, organized into the following sections: 1) Site Photos (appears only if the site has photos); 2) General Site Information; 3) Site Characteristics; 4) Substance Contamination Information; 5) Investigative, Remedial and Administrative Actions; and 6) Site Environmental Controls (i.e., institutional or engineering controls; appears only if DEQ has applied one or more such controls to the site).  A key to certain acronyms and terms used in the report appears at the bottom of the page.

Go to DEQ's Facility Profiler to see a site map as well is information on what other DEQ programs may be active at this site.

General Site Information

Site ID: 4065 Site Name: UPRR Diesel Spill - Rowena CERCLIS No:
Address: I-84, Exit 76 (Rowena)  
  County: Wasco Region: Eastern
Other location information: NE corner of the Rowena Exit.
Investigation Status: No further action required
  Brownfield Site: No NPL Site: No Orphan Site: No Study Area: No
Property: Twnshp/Range/Sect: 2N , 12E , 11 Tax Lots:
  Latitude: 45.6766 deg. Longitude: -121.277 deg.  Site Size:
Other Site Names:
 

Site Characteristics

General Site Description: The site is a railroad siding in Rowena, Wasco County, near the Rowena exit of Interstate Highway 84. River Road is just north of the spill site. Residential properties lie between River Road and the Columbia River, which is 800 feet north of the site.
Site History: Oregon DEQ is overseeing investigation and cleanup of a diesel spill that occurred at a rail siding in Rowena on February 15, 2004. The spill was discovered by Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) when a crew member noticed that one of three idling locomotives on a parked westbound train had shut off. The crew found the engine compartment sump full of diesel fuel. The cause of the malfunction was determined to be a cracked fuel filter.

Contamination Information: (1/9/06 BPS/VCP) Diesel, BTEX
Manner and Time of Release: Diesel spill from a parked, idling locomotive.
Hazardous Substances/Waste Types: petroleum, BTEX
Pathways:
Environmental/Health Threats:
Status of Investigative or Remedial Action: (1/9/06 RPS/VCP) Spill response activities during February and March 2004 included flushing the affected area with water and pumping diesel into vacuum trucks. Booms and sorbents were used to contain the fuel during this phase of cleanup. Following this phase, UPRR installed two groundwater monitoring wells just north of the siding track in May 2004.

By July 2005, nine wells had been installed. These include five along the north side of the siding track and two south of the spill area, which verified that there were no upgradient contamination sources. Some free-phase diesel was found in the three wells closest to the spill. As a result, UPRR installed two wells on the north side of River Road, to monitor groundwater quality near the residential properties between River Road and the Columbia River. No contamination was found in either of these wells during the two sampling rounds conducted to date (July and October 2005).

To get a better sense of the extent of contamination, UPRR installed 51 soil borings in July 2005. About 12 of these were placed along the north side of River Road. The rest were between the siding track and the south side of River Road. Presence of petroleum was determined based on inspection of the soil samples in the field, by sight and smell, and by lab analysis for petroleum. Free-phase petroleum was observed over an area between the tracks and the south side of the road. This area extends about 90 fest east-west by about 25 feet north-south. In addition, detectable concentrations were found in some of the soil samples north of River Road. The highest level of diesel found north of the road was 1,420 mg/kg.

UPRR has proposed conducting soil treatment in place (that is, without excavating the contaminated soil) to reduce petroleum levels. This work is scheduled to take place during spring 2006.

(3/20/06 KJR/SAS) Site proposed for listing on CRL and Inventory. No comments received. Site listed on CRL and Inventory.

(July 9, 2007, Bob Schwarz) Contamination exceeded risk screening levels only marginally following the completion of emergency response activities. However, UPRR installed an air sparge system to reduce contaminant concentrations in groundwater so that the risk of migration of these contaminants would also be reduced. This system, which included three air sparge wells installed at the locations shown in Figure 2. The system operated for about six months, from July 2006 until January 2007.

(Aug. 6, 2007, Bob Schwarz) DEQ issued an NFA for this site on July 31, 2007.
Data Sources: "Rowena Fuel Release, Emergency Response and Remedial Invesetigation," CH2M HILL, November 2005

Substance Contamination Information

Substance Media Contaminated Concentration Level Date Recorded
No information is available

Investigative, Remedial and Administrative Actions

Action Start Date Compl. Date Resp. Staff Lead Pgm
Refer to Program 02/15/2004 07/12/2004 Michael Renz ERP
Site added to database 02/24/2004 02/24/2004 Tracy England
NEGOTIATIONS 07/12/2004   Bob Schwarz VCS
PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT EQUIVALENT 12/05/2005 12/05/2005 Bob Schwarz VCS
Proposal for Confirmed Release List recommended 12/05/2005 12/05/2005 Bob Schwarz VCS
Proposal for Inventory recommended 12/05/2005 12/05/2005 Bob Schwarz VCS
Facility proposed for Confirmed Release List 01/10/2006 01/10/2006 Katie Robertson SAS
Facility proposed for Inventory 01/10/2006 01/10/2006 Katie Robertson SAS
Listing Review completed 03/20/2006 03/20/2006 Katie Robertson SAS
Facility placed on Inventory 03/20/2006 03/20/2006 Katie Robertson SAS
Facility placed on Confirmed Release List 03/20/2006 03/20/2006 Katie Robertson SAS
NO FURTHER STATE ACTION REQUIRED  (Primary Action) 07/31/2007 07/31/2007 Bob Schwarz VCS
Facility delisted from Confirmed Release List 02/07/2008 02/07/2008 Bob Schwarz VCS
Facility delisted from Inventory List 02/07/2008 02/07/2008 Bob Schwarz VCS

Key to Certain Acronyms and Terms in this Report:

  • CERCLIS No.: The U.S. EPA's Hazardous Waste Site identification number, shown only if EPA has been involved at the site.
     
  • Region: DEQ divides the state into three regions, Eastern, Northwest, and Western; the regional office shown is responsible for site investigation/cleanup.
     
  • NPL Site: Is this site on EPA's National Priority List (i.e., a federal Superfund site)? (Y/N).
     
  • Orphan Site: Has DEQ's Orphan Program been active at this site? (Y/N). The Orphan Program uses state funds to clean up high-priority sites where owners and operators responsible for the contamination are absent, or are unable or unwilling to use their own resources for cleanup.
     
  • Study Area: Is this site a Study Area? (Y/N). Study Areas are groupings of individual ECSI sites that may be contributing to a larger, area-wide problem. ECSI assigns unique Site ID numbers to both individual sites and to Study Areas.
     
  • Pathways: A description of human or environmental resources that site contamination could affect.
     
  • Lead Pgm: This column refers to the Cleanup Program affiliation of the DEQ employee responsible for the action shown. SAS or SAP = Site Assessment; VCS or VCP = Voluntary Cleanup; ICP = Independent Cleanup; SRS or SRP = Site Response (enforcement cleanup); ORP = Orphan Program.

You may be able to obtain more information about this site by contacting Bob Schwarz at the Eastern regional office or via email at schwarz.bob@deq.state.or.us. If this does not work, you may contact Gil Wistar at (503) 229-5512, or via email at wistar.gil@deq.state.or.us or contact the Eastern regional office.

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For more information about ECSI call Gil Wistar at 503-229-5512 or email.

For more information about DEQ's Land Quality programs, visit the DEQ contact page.

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