New Perspective on RI/FS Process for Brownfield Redevlopment: Case Study at Former Oregon Sawmill, 1998 Environmental Conference Proceedings

Lisa L. Kelly

Lance A. Downs, P.E.

EMCON

R. E. Cornish

Mountain Fir Lumber Company, Inc.

This case study illustrates the process of completing a remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS) under changing state regulations. The property is a former sawmill in Independence, Oregon (operated 1953 to 1992), which is industrially zoned and scheduled for redevelopment. When the RI/FS process began Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) operated under conservative assumptions (cleanup to background) and required general, deterministic evaluations (non-site-specitic). While the final FS for the property was being prepared, a “brownfields” bill (Oregon House Bill 3352) was enacted (January 1997). The new bill revised the OARs to encourage the reuse of industrial property, emphasizing site-specific conditions and potential redevelopment opportunities, and expediting the process of determining and implementing remedial actions. The final FS for the property was revised to reflect the changed regulations. In particular, site-specific risk-based concentrations, determined statistically, were allowed as cleanup levels for the chemicals of concern (pentachlorophenate, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and dioxin and furan congeners).