The Washington state Department of Ecology says it plans to enter into an agreement with BNSF Railway Co. under which the railroad will investigate soil and groundwater contamination and evaluate cleanup alternatives at the Parkwater Railyard site, in Spokane Valley.

Parkwater, formerly known as Yardley, is located at 5302 E. Trent, about a half-mile south of the Spokane River and above the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer.

The 130-acre site has been used as a rail yard for nearly 100 years, and in the early 1900s was a main facility for the Northern Pacific Railroad, a predecessor of BNSF. A petroleum release was discovered there in 1990 during the removal of an underground storage tank, and "petroleum constituents consistent with diesel fuel" have been detected in soil and groundwater, Ecology says.

Since that discovery, BNSF has conducted some limited investigations of the contamination and independently cleaned up some contamination, the state says.

Gus Melonas, a BNSF spokesman in Seattle, says, "BNSF is committed to protection of the environment. We have addressed historical impacts to the environment due to our past railroad activities at the Parkwater location."

That work has included cleaning up contaminated soil and removing underground tanks from the property, Melonas says. He says BNSF also is addressing impacts from past fueling practices at its fueling platform operation there, including investing in what's called air sparging, which involves injecting air into the ground to reduce concentrations of volatile constituents in petroleum products that have been absorbed into soils and dissolved in groundwater , he says.

"We will continue to work closely with the Department of Ecology to ensure environmental protection," he says.

BNSF continues to use the rail yard for switching, fueling, and intermodal operations, though the majority of refueling operations were moved from Parkwater to the railroad's new refueling facility in Hauser, Idaho in 2004. Parkwater serves as a support fueling facility to Hauser when there is high demand, Ecology says.

Ecology says it will accept public comments through Feb. 10 on the so-called "agreed-order"—a legal document issued by Ecology that formalizes the railroad's agreement with Ecology to take action to clean up the site.

Ecology spokeswoman Cathy Cochrane says that after the comments are considered, Ecology may modify the agreed order, if appropriate. Once the agreed order is final, it would require BNSF to take several actions.

BNSF would proceed with the remedial investigation to determine where and how much contamination exists in the soil and groundwater there, and study possible cleanup options, Cochrane says.

The railroad also would be required to submit a report detailing independent cleanup actions previously taken at the site, and provide a work plan to initiate interim cleanup actions to treat groundwater under Ecology supervision.

Ecology says that companies responsible for contamination can pursue voluntary cleanup, but if the agency determines the voluntary program isn't an appropriate avenue for cleanup, it becomes part of Ecology's formal cleanup process. The agreed order between BNSF and Ecology at Parkwater begins the formal cleanup process, state documents say.

Downtown spill


Meanwhile, Ecology says soil and groundwater monitoring near a former Washington Water Power Co. steam plant downtown continues to show "petroleum product" at levels exceeding state standards.

In 1982, an underground petroleum release was discovered at that site, near the corner of Lincoln Street and First Avenue. WWP, now Avista Corp., conducted studies of the site and found petroleum present in soil and shallow groundwater, and cleanup actions were launched. Those actions have reduced the amount of contamination in both the soil and groundwater, but petroleum still continues to be recovered in quantities that exceed state standards, Ecology says. Cleanup and monitoring will continue until contamination drops to levels that meet the state standards, the agency says.

That area of town is the site of retail stores, restaurants, hotels—including the Davenport Hotel—and commercial parking lots. What was once known as the Central Steam Plant there was built in 1915 to burn coal and to produce steam and electric power, and the boilers were converted in the 1960s to use petroleum. Seven underground storage tanks were constructed to store fuel.

Ecology recently sought public comment on a review it does on the site every five years, including of how well contamination has been cleaned up there, as well as monitoring efforts. That review will continue until state standards are met.