EPA to expedite Haymarket arena environmental studies

The reports will give the city more information about the type and extent of contamination and cleanup options, but not cleanup cost estimates.

An EPA contractor begins work this week taking soil and groundwater samples for what will be the most in-depth analysis to date of the area targeted for a $344 million project that voters will decide whether to proceed with. The project involves construction of a new arena, roads, bridges, parking lots and parking garages in the area straight west of the historic Haymarket District.

Much of the development would occur in what is now a railyard used by three railroad companies -- an area where industries sprouted up along the rail lines and left a variety of hazardous contaminants.

Last week, EPA officials told the Journal Star it normally takes about two months to get the environmental reports -- which would land either right on the eve or after the election. But the EPA reversed course on Tuesday, announcing that it was able to arrange for its Kansas City-area contractor to have the final report done by April 30.

The city has budgeted $7.5 million for cleanup, which the mayor's office says is a worst-case scenario figure. Skeptics say it's difficult to pinpoint the cleanup costs before more detailed environmental analysis is done.

Chris Whitley, spokesman for the EPA's Region 7, said the federal agency became aware through Journal Star reporting of concerns in Lincoln that the EPA reports likely wouldn't be done in time for the election -- "Which was not acceptable to us," he said.

Asked what precipitated the EPA decision to expedite the work, he said it was the EPA's decision.

"To my knowledge, the city did not ask us to expedite it," he said.

"The bottom line for us is it's not our intention for us to become an issue in the election. We didn't want to adversely affect it one way or the other."

He said it's not always possible to expedite such studies.

The contractor that will be drilling holes and taking samples is Seagull Environmental Technologies of Kansas City, Kan. Weather permitting, Seagull was to begin work this week on property owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. Whitley could not say whether they were delayed by rain.

Samples are to be taken in six other areas owned by different property owners, however, and last week the EPA said each property was scheduled for a week of work. But the EPA has not been granted access to property owned by Union Pacific. Mayoral aide Miki Esposito said UP does not want to give the city access until after the city buys the property.

Whitley could not say for certain whether reports on all the properties would be done by April 30, but he said he believed reports would be done on properties where they had permission to enter.

The city has previously contracted with HWS Inc. of Lincoln to do environmental studies in the area in 2007 and 2009, but the work being done by the EPA will be more in-depth, Esposito said Monday.

However, she said, if voters approve the project, an even more thorough study would be done after the election to determine how the city would clean up the area.

Environmental attorney Lynn Moorer, who opposes the arena project, said she questions whether speeding up the analysis will mean "quality and seriousness" suffer.

But, she added, "It's encouraging that it looks like we're going to have a little bit more information than what they told us previously."

The city's tentative agreement to buy land from BNSF -- which owns the bulk of the property -- is contingent upon the city bearing all the costs to clean up the area and indemnifying BNSF.

The mayor's chief of staff, Rick Hoppe, said of the news, "We're pleased that there'll be a final report out before the election, but we felt like the HWS study was more than adequate for information necessary for the ballot issue. This will just give us some additional information which could be helpful."

Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.