Brownfields Redevelopment Former Carrie Avenue Rail Yard

ATON was retained by Green Street St. Louis to perform site characterization and closure activities for the former Carrie Avenue Rail Yard property in St. Louis, MO.

Completion Date: August 2018

CHALLENGE

The majority of the site previously owned by the Union Pacific Railroad Company had been used historically as a rail car repair yard dating back to the early 20th century. Surrounding properties had been developed industrially since the late 1800s. Additional site and area use included a waste transfer facility and an auto salvage operation, a dry-cleaning facility, an auto repair shop, and a soap manufacturing plant.

The project included the preparation of a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA), a review of previous environmental assessment reports, supplemental subsurface investigation and delineation work, and remedial design plans. The primary contaminants of concern identified at the site consisted of PAHs, VOCs, petroleum products, and heavy metals.

The remedial investigation and closure work was conducted pursuant to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Brownfields/Voluntary Cleanup Program (BVCP). The main challenge of the redevelopment involved the creative use of existing fill material that had been used at the site from past operations, as well as imported fill from multiple construction projects in the region.

SOLUTION / METHODOLOGY

ATON worked closely with Green Street and its affiliate, North Riverfront Investors, LLC during the planning stages of the project to satisfy MDNR requirements and various components of the proposed land development and building construction. In order to minimize the need for off-site disposal of impacted soil, ATON proposed the use of a Soil Management Plan to allow impacted soil generated during redevelopment activities to be redistributed and consolidated under building footprint and the parking lots as an engineered barrier. ATON prepared a detailed site characterization report, risk assessment, and closure and received an NFA from MDNR.

OUTCOME

Two workers and machinery doing site assessment at former Carrie Ave. Rail Yard.

ATON was able to justify the remediation and closure approach to the satisfaction of the agencies and all the reports were approved by MDNR BVCP, and the related work was subsequently implemented. The approved work included soil remediation, removal of USTs, placement and grading of heavy metal and petroleum-impacted soils, and the installation of engineered barriers during site redevelopment.

The site has been successfully redeveloped with a CSTK truck maintenance facility. An NFA was received for development. Land use restrictions were placed on the properties with a long-term stewardship component to managing soil in place.