Burlington Northern Livingston Shop Complex CECRA Facility

Link to Supporting Documents & Reports

Background

The Burlington Northern Livingston Shop Complex, which includes an active rail yard, is primarily located in Livingston, Montana. The Facility is approximately 2 miles long and 0.5 miles wide, and includes locomotive and rail car repair and maintenance shops. Montana Rail Link (MRL) is the current rail yard operator.

Previous rail yard operating practices lead to contaminated soils and groundwater. Primary contaminants include chlorinated solvents, diesel fuel, and asbestos. After completion of a remedial investigation, a risk assessment, two feasibility studies, and several interim remedial actions, DEQ issued a Record of Decision for the Facility in September 2001. The selected final remedy includes several remedial actions and additional investigations.

Recent Status

In September 2004, DEQ initiated negotiations with BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) to implement the Record of Decision (ROD). Those negotiations culminated in the August 9, 2005 Spring Statement of Work (SOW). The SOW identifies how additional investigations will be implemented for some of the tasks required by the ROD. On April 17, 2006, DEQ terminated negotiations for the remaining clean up tasks. DEQ will develop the remaining work plans and schedules, and BNSF will be given the opportunity to implement the work. If BNSF chooses not to implement the any of the work, then DEQ will complete the remedial actions, itself.

Progress on several tasks included in the SOW and beyond the scope of the SOW is ongoing:

  • Cinder Pile - The 6.6-acre pile of cinders, sludges, and other solid wastes, including asbestos, has been regraded and capped and a fence around the pile has been installed. Vegetation and drainage of the cinder pile is monitored quarterly.
  • Indoor Air Monitoring - Two rounds of air sampling have been completed as part of an investigation of chlorinated solvents potentially migrating indoors from contaminated groundwater. BNSF has provided DEQ preliminary sampling results. DEQ has determined that additional investigation and the installation of mitigation systems in rail yard buildings are warranted. Mitigation systems for any buildings with vapor concentrations that represent unacceptable risks will be required by DEQ. DEQ is currently editing BNSF’s supplemental investigation and mitigation work plans. Fieldwork is scheduled to begin in February 2007.
  • Chlorinated Solvent-Containing Alluvial Aquifer Groundwater – DEQ and its contractor, CDM, Inc., are reviewing and editing BNSF’s Remedial Action Work Plans for investigation and remedial technology testing of the chlorinated solvent plume. BNSF will be given the opportunity to implement the clean up. If BNSF chooses not to implement the work, then DEQ will complete the clean up.
  • Surface Soil Investigation - Visual reconnaissance of surface soil contamination required for determining surface soil sampling locations is complete. DEQ has determined which locations must be sampled and will provide BNSF the opportunity to conduct the sampling. Based on the sampling results, DEQ will develop petroleum cleanup levels and, if necessary, develop a surface soil remedial action work plan. BNSF will be given the opportunity to implement the work. If BNSF chooses not to implement the work, then DEQ will complete the clean up. Fieldwork is scheduled to begin in the Spring 2007.
  • Floating Diesel Recovery and Bioventing - DEQ and CDM developed a work plan for two of the remaining tasks: removing floating diesel from the groundwater and bioventing petroleum contaminated subsurface soils. BNSF chose to implement the work and has cooperated in completing the first two steps included in the work plan. The first step was to install several soil borings and monitoring wells to further define the diesel plume, which was found to be larger than previously suspected. The second step was to conduct prototype well testing to evaluate pumps, well designs, and recovery technologies. Over 400 gallons of diesel were removed from the ground during the testing conducted between October and December 2006. DEQ and CDM are now providing direction to BNSF on the design of the full diesel recovery and bioventing systems.

Also, DEQ is in the process of reviewing the Remedial Action Work Plans submitted by BNSF for 1) Dissolved-Phase Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Groundwater and 2) the Supplemental Investigation of the Bedrock Aquifer(s). Regular groundwater monitoring at the Facility is ongoing. Once the SOW investigations are complete, DEQ will prepare work plans for any necessary remedial actions. In addition, the ROD required several additional investigation and remedial actions that are not included in the SOW, including additional VOC source removal, lead contaminated soil and groundwater remediation, and investigation and clean up of the C&P Packing property. DEQ will prepare work plans for these activities. BNSF will be offered the opportunity to implement all DEQ work plans. If BNSF chooses not to implement the work, then DEQ will complete the required actions. Pursuant to statutory language and a 1989 Modified Partial Consent Decree, DEQ is billing BNSF for the costs it incurs in overseeing and implementing work.

Burlington Northern Livingston Shop Complex Documents
Download Name Link
Request for Additional Indoor Air Investigation under Task I
1,700 K
October 2008 PCE/Product Plume Map
380 K
Final Task F
Stage I – Part 2 Pilot Test Work Plan for
Volatile Organic Compound-Containing
Alluvial Aquifer Groundwater
10,475 K
Initial Operation and Maintenance Plan for Burlington Northern Livingston Shop Complex - December 2007
3654 K
November Public Information Meeting Slideshow
28,521 K
November 2007 Fact Sheet
145 K
Task F Stage I - Part 1 Remedial Action Plan for VOC-Containing Alluvial Aquifer Groundwater 
13,793 K
Private & Public Well Inventory Rev. No. 1 - February 2007
62,252 K
Task I:
Mitigation Design Development Plan - March 2007
1,278 K
Addendum No. 2 to Final Task I Supplemental Investigation Work Plan for Indoor Air (DEQ-Version) dated January 2007
22,768 K
Remedial Action Work Plan for Task D and Task E

Petroleum Hydrocarbon Recovery and Remediation - September 20, 2006
3912 K
2005 Attachment 2 to Statement of Work
46 K
2005 Draft Final Statement of Work
340 K