Brownfield Assessment of the Former Whetstone Landfill

White City, Oregon

Project Overview

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (Department) Western Region Site
Assessment Program under a Cooperative Agreement with EPA, conducted an
assessment of the former Whetstone Landfill. The former Whetstone Landfill is
located west of White City, Oregon along Antelope Road approximately 7 miles north
of Medford, Oregon. The site is part of a 200 acre parcel of land owned by the City
of Medford. It is approximately % of a mile from the Rogue River along Whetstone
Creek. The landfill was in operation from 1940 to 1955 as a military landfill. It
continued as a municipal landfill until the mid 1960's. Most recently the area has
been used for cattle grazing. The industrial park had not been selected by a large
manufacturer due to the presence of the landfill.

The assessment was conducted by the Department under a pilot Brownfield project
with EPA funding. The purpose of the pilot was to determine the demand for, and
potential effectiveness of an expanded Brownfield evaluation program and to assist
redevelopment efforts at the local level. Brownfield sites are vacant or under-utilized
commercial or industrial properties with known or perceived contamination of
hazardous substances that has affected the sale and/or redevelopment of the site.

Former Whetstone Land
White City, Oregon

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What We Did

The project began with a scoping meeting in November 1996 attended by the City of
Medford, the Department, Oregon Economic Development Department and a
prospective purchaser. This was followed by a site visit in February 1997 and
sampling events in February and April 1997. The final report was completed in June
1997. Surface water, sediments, and subsurface soil samples were collected from
several locations within the landfill and Whetstone Creek. Groundwater samples
were also collected.

What We Found

The investigation was focused on accessible areas of the former landfill close to the
active disposal area, not covered by concrete rubble. Two areas of buried ash were
found to contain Dioxin at levels above industrial cleanup standards. One sample
was collected from a thick layer of waste suspected to be log deck waste. The
sample contained benzo(b)fluoranthene, also above industrial cleanup standards.

The Next Step

Due to the presence of contamination in buried ash and log deck waste, further
investigative work is recommended before any decisions regarding cleanup and
future development of the property can be made. Additional soil sampling is needed
to determine the extent of contamination already identified.

After the contamination is addressed, development of the portions of the site outside
of the landfill active disposal area may be possible. It is not recommended that
development occur within this area due to potential stability and contamination
concerns.

For more information or a copy of the report, please contact:

City Manager, City of Medford, 541-774-2000

Claudia Johansen, Oregon DEQ - Medford, 541-776-6010 ext.228

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