Rail yard has history of pollution
There's a long history of contamination at the Whitefish rail yard's 90-acre fueling and repair facility that has operated since the 1890s.
Spills and leaks at three separate fueling areas have caused soil and shallow groundwater contamination with petroleum products - primarily diesel fuel but also polychlorinated byphenyls, volatile organic compounds, and heavy metals such as lead.
In 1973, the railroad began recovering free petroleum product from shallow groundwater via an interception trench just above the Whitefish River, according to a case history compiled by the state.
In 1986, consultants with the federal Environmental Protection Agency inspected the facility after citizen complaints of an oil sheen on the Whitefish River, but the agency recommended no further federal action, and the state began overseeing the investigation and cleanup actions at the Whitefish yard.
By late 1998 the state issued an administrative order requiring BNSF to complete a remedial investigation work plan for the site. The railroad submitted its draft plan in 2000 and its final plan in 2006, and the state still is reviewing it.
BNSF investigated further in 2004 and 2005 to address data gaps. The state and railroad corporation have gone back and forth on the investigation, and two years ago BNSF submitted a supplement to its plan that includes additional facility assessment information.
As of September 2008, 15,477 gallons of "free product" had been recovered, the state's timeline notes.
In March this year - after the Montana Department of Environmental Quality asked BNSF for any other sampling data it might have - BNSF told the state that all data regarding the facility, including surrounding properties, had previously been submitted to the state, department Director Richard Opper said.
Denise Martin, site response section manager for DEQ, said underground petroleum plumes "do migrate to some extent," but migration depends on the type of contamination.
"Petroleum breaks down over time and that can help limit how far the contamination can move," Martin said.
BNSF has a number of sites in Montana similar to the Whitefish yard, Opper said.
He referred to a 2004 decision issued by the state for BNSF's Livingston shop complex where mandated cleanup work is ongoing.
Details of the Livingston project can be found online at: http://deq.mt.gov/StateSuperfund/BNLivingston.asp. Other BNSF facility summaries can be found at http://deq.mt.gov/statesuperfund/cecralistpage.asp.