Union Pacific, EPA and state officials brief Dunsmuir on shoreline remediation; early samples show no exceedances

Union Pacific senior director of public affairs Peggy Agbuhi told the council the company is carrying out a shoreline remediation project on the Sacramento River that includes soil excavation, removal of a retaining wall, re-sloping the bank and restoring native vegetation. "We are committed to transparency and keeping the community informed while working with Unified Command who is also here with us today," Agbuhi said, adding the work may include operations outside normal hours to meet seasonal timelines.

Tara Fitzgerald, the EPA'9s federal on-scene coordinator for the site, said the agency implemented daily sampling from Aug. 29 through Sept. 13 and had received the first week of results. "Currently, we have not seen any elevated results above the screening levels that we had discussed," Fitzgerald said, noting the remainder of the data should be available by the end of the week and that state and federal partners will review whether additional sampling is needed. John Amos, state on-scene coordinator with California Fish and Wildlife/OSPR, added that public notifications and reporting avenues have been maintained and that Cal OES had not received additional citizen complaints since an August open house.

The presenters described a multi-agency remediation strategy intended to protect the community, increase river capacity and improve fish and wildlife habitat. Council members and residents asked about monitoring, potential turbidity or sheen and the timeline; presenters said the majority of the retaining wall is already removed and emphasized ongoing signage and public outreach. The council did not take formal action on the update but agreed to continue receiving reports as data becomes available.