City takes steps toward UP soil cleanup

The City of Green River is moving forward with a plan for the Union Pacific Railroad to clean up an area of contaminated soil within the city. 

During Tuesday night's City Council meeting, a public hearing took place for a proposed language amendment needed to establish a specific boundary of a Restricted Use Control Area Overlay Zone for the area. The council also approved the proposed language amendment on first reading. 

During the public hearing, Public Works Director Mark Westenskow spoke to the City Council to explain the need for the language amendment and the intent behind the project. 

"This has been something we've been working on for a while," Westenskow said. 

He pointed out that a Union Pacific (UP) representative approached the city last year about the desire to do a cleanup project on land along West Second South Street near where the old water plant is. The UP has been working with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to identify a cleanup process, according to Westenskow. They have already done tests to identify areas of concern, levels of contamination, and the level of cleanup that will be needed. According to state statutes, the DEQ and an entity working with them may be allowed to do cleanups with different standards for different areas. A full cleanup would get the land to the point that it could be built on, lived on, and even farmed on. The DEQ has determined that a full cleanup isn't necessary for this area based on its future use and its proximity to the railroad, so a less extensive process will be sufficient. 

Councilmember George Jost asked about how much soil is expected to need to be moved for the cleanup. Westenskow noted that a full cleanup would have required around 9,000 cubic yards, but the less extensive cleanup under reduced standards for an industrial level is about 300 cubic yards. He also explained that the goal for this cleanup is to remove the contaminated soil, backfill the area with new material, and stabilize the site. 

Councilmember Jost also asked how large the area is that will be part of the project. Westenskow referred to the UP's petition, which says the site in question is 8.45 acres of land. It is part of 165 acres of UP land, but is located between the UP's functional area and a lease area for the Joint Power Waters Board (JPWB).

Although the area contains buildings that were part of the old water plant, as well as other buildings further to the southwest, none of the buildings are being considered for removal as part of this cleanup, according to Westenskow. 

The JPWB is the leaseholder for the old water plant, so that property has certain obligations and conditions related to the lease, and any change to the buildings would need to be negotiated between the UP and the JPWB. Bryan Seppie, the JPWB General Manager, spoke to the City Council during the public hearing as well. He explained that the board was given notice of the UP's plans for the cleanup and has no objections. He added that the board would be supportive of the council's decisions, and he believes there are several avenues for the future of the property that all the connected parties can explore together. 

Westenskow noted that the UP and DEQ have taken several important steps in the process, including identifying a list of land-use restrictions, submitting petitions according to regulations established by statute and adopted by the city, doing advertising and outreach, and meeting with Planning and Zoning. 

The city's involvement in the project is related to the need to establish a boundary for the project area and to create a Restricted Use Control Area Overlay District (RUCAO) as requested by the UP. To be accepted, the terms of the petition and specific boundary of the overlay zone must be adopted by ordinance and the overlay designation placed on the official zoning map. Creating the RUCAO requires a language amendment to the City of Green River Code of Ordinances, which would add section 17.5 and subsection 17.5-1 to Chapter 17 of Appendix B, pursuant to Article 16 of the Wyoming Environmental Quality Act. 

The Planning and Zoning Commission considered this language amendment at their monthly scheduled Public Hearing in March and recommended approval of the creation of the UPRR Restricted Use Control Area Overlay, according to City Council documents. 

The City Council unanimously approved the proposed language amendment establishing the RUCAO boundary on first reading. 

When asked about a potential timeline for the cleanup project, Westenskow said he believes the goal is to do it this summer. 

"They've been working on it a while and want to get it done," he said.