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NPL Site Narrative for Western Pacific Railroad Co.
WESTERN PACIFIC RAILROAD CO.
Oroville, California
Federal Register Notice: August 30, 1990Conditions at proposal (October 26, 1989): Western Pacific Railroad Co. operated a 90-acre rail yard from approximately 1920 to 1983 at a location 2 miles south of Oroville, Butte County, California. Union Pacific Co. purchased the facility in January 1983. On the facility was a wooden structure encompassing approximately 3 acres, known as the roundhouse, which was used to fuel, repair, service, and clean railcars. Specific activities conducted at the roundhouse include sandblasting, welding, cutting, and fabricating. As a result of these activities, waste solvents, oils, grease, and waste waters containing heavy metals were discharged to an unlined surface impoundment until October 1987.
In October 1985, the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) detected arsenic, barium, copper, nickel, and chromium in soil and sludge in the impoundment. Chromium was also detected in a monitoring well adjacent to the impoundment. In addition, a consultant to CDHS found benzene and toluene in soil and sludge in the impoundment in August and October 1987.
The California Regional Water Quality Control Board (CRWQCB) is investigating the site. According to CRWQCB, ground water occurs at 30 feet and is connected to deeper ground water that is a source of drinking water; soils are permeable. These conditions facilitate movement of contaminants into ground water.
Four California Water Service Co. wells are within 3 miles of the site. Water from the wells is blended with water from Feather River to serve the company's 10,000 customers. One of the wells is on the site and is leased from Western Pacific. Between 1984 and 1986, California Water Service detected dichloroethylene in the well.
Feather River is 1 mile from the site in the direction surface water drains. The river is used for recreational activities.
In January 1989, CRWQCB issued a Cleanup and Abatement Order to Union Pacific and Salano Railcar, which has leased 5 acres of the site from Union Pacific since 1970. Work underway includes sampling of abandoned water supply wells to determine the best way to seal them, installation of a water separator to collect run-off from locomotives, and installation of equipment to prevent run-off.
Status (August 30, 1990): Under the Cleanup and Abatement Order, Union Pacific has removed the soils and sludges associated with the surface impoundment, closed two 30-gallon concrete sumps, removed an underground tank, closed an underground oil/water separator, and replaced the separator with an aboveground unit. Studies are underway to characterize contaminated soils in the fueling area and adjacent to the old separator.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.