Remediation

 

 

Following the 1994 closure of the Howes Leather Company plant in Frank (which had operated since 1904 as the Pocahontas Tanning Company), the site became the focus of multi-stage environmental remediation overseen by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The effort transitioned the contaminated industrial footprint into the East Fork Industrial Park, addressing nearly a century of heavy chemical tanning deposits.

1. Identified Contaminants and Site Risks

Extensive Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments revealed widespread subsurface and surface impacts across the 40+ acre floodplain along the East Fork of the Greenbrier River:

• Inorganic Contaminants & Heavy Metals: Elevated concentrations of arsenic, lead, chromium (from finishing agents and machinery), and mercury in shallow soil horizons.
  
  
• Volatile & Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs / SVOCs): Solvents, degreasers, conditioning oils, and petroleum hydrocarbons linked to maintenance bays and mechanical finishing areas.
  
  
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs): Electrical transformer leakage across former power generation and boiler substations.
  
  
• Spent Tannin & Sulfide Residues: Decades of unlined wastewater lagoons, beamhouse settling pits, and spent bark landfills caused localized groundwater acidification and mineral leaching.
  
  
• Building Hazards: Extensive friable asbestos insulation, transite siding, and lead-based paints in remaining legacy structures.
  
  

2. WVDEP Voluntary Remediation Program (VRP)

The site entered the WVDEP Voluntary Remediation Program to establish clear risk-based cleanup standards for commercial and light industrial reuse:

• Groundwater Delineation & Monitoring: A network of permanent monitoring wells was installed across the river terrace to track plumes of dissolved solids, sulfates, and organic constituents, verifying that contaminant migration toward the East Fork was stabilizing.
  
  
• Institutional & Engineering Controls: Rather than undertaking the cost-prohibitive complete off-site disposal of hundreds of thousands of tons of fill, remedies relied on risk caps (clay and gravel barriers over low-mobility soil pockets) paired with Land Use Covenants (LUCs) that prohibit residential development and restrict potable groundwater extraction.
  
  

3. EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grants & Demolition

The Pocahontas County Commission, in partnership with the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation, secured competitive EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grants (bolstered by federal infrastructure funding) to address remaining structural and subsurface hurdles:

• Asbestos Abatement & Demolition: The remediation plan contracted environmental engineering firms (such as Greenbrier Environmental Group) to perform certified asbestos abatement prior to demolishing dilapidated tannery outbuildings.
  
  
• The Historic Office Building Debate: The cleanup triggered community debate over the 1942 brick Howes Office Building. While local heritage groups explored preserving it as a statewide tanning museum, structural degradation and asbestos encapsulation costs ultimately directed grant priorities toward clearance and safe site stabilization.
  
  
• Final Grading & Site Preparation: Once structures and top-level hot spots were mitigated, the land was re-graded and stabilized to accommodate light industrial and municipal utility expansion.
  
  

4. Redevelopment Outcome

The combined VRP and EPA Brownfields actions successfully contained contamination risks along the East Fork watershed, ensuring that residual tannery chemicals no longer threaten the upper Greenbrier River while leaving the cleared parcels shovel-ready for regional economic development.

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Beyond the Howes Leather site in Frank, Pocahontas County’s industrial history—centered on large-scale timber extraction, rail servicing, and leather manufacturing—generated several distinct legacy sites subject to state and federal remediation, environmental assessments, and brownfield redevelopment initiatives.

1. Former Marlinton Tannery Site (Marlinton)

• Historical Footprint: Operated by the Union Tanning Company, U.S. Leather, and later the International Shoe Company along the Greenbrier River south of downtown Marlinton.
  
  
• Environmental Profile: Similar to the Frank facility, decades of operation left heavy concentrations of spent hemlock and chestnut oak bark waste, alkaline lime-sludge deposits, and localized heavy metal residues (arsenic, chromium, lead) in river-terrace soils.
  
  
• Remediation & Reuse: Following plant dismantling after World War II, the parcel underwent environmental evaluations to ensure soil and groundwater stability. Today, portions of the corridor have been adapted for municipal utilities, commercial storage, and green space, with land-use restrictions limiting deep excavation and unmonitored well usage.
  
  

2. Cass Mill and Locomotive Maintenance Yards (Cass)

• Historical Footprint: The historic operational hub of the West Virginia Pulp & Paper Company (and later Mower Lumber), encompassing the giant double-band sawmill, boiler houses, and the locomotive repair shops for the Greenbrier, Cheat & Elk Railroad.
  
  
• Environmental Profile: Heavy industrial maintenance of Shay, Climax, and Heisler geared steam locomotives generated widespread deposits of heavy petroleum hydrocarbons, boiler blowdown residues, coal slag/ash, solvents, and creosote-treated rail ties.
  
  
• Management & Transition: Transferred into state ownership as Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, the site operates under specialized environmental and historic preservation protocols. Shop zones and ash disposal areas maintain engineering controls to prevent oily runoff and heavy metal migration into the adjacent Greenbrier River.
  
  

3. Durbin Rail Yard and Turntable (Durbin)

• Historical Footprint: The northern rail interchange connecting the C&O Greenbrier Division with the Western Maryland / Coal & Iron Railway, featuring engine turnaround facilities, water tanks, freight transfer docks, and coal coaling docks.
  
  
• Environmental Profile: Soil assessments identified elevated concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy diesel/lubricant hydrocarbons, and localized metal particulates typical of rail junction yards.
  
  
• Remediation & Adaptive Reuse: Through state Brownfields Assistance programs and regional economic partnerships, priority sectors of the yard were assessed and stabilized to support the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad tourist train operations (the Durbin Rocket) and municipal infrastructure.
  
  

4. Historic Sawmill and Chemical Wood Sites (Boyer, Bartow, and Winterburn)

• Historical Footprint: Late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century boomtown mills that processed millions of board feet of timber, operated steam-powered drying kilns, and handled bulk chemical preservatives.
  
  
• Environmental Profile: Massive sawdust and wood-waste landfill mounds (which produce localized leachate and acidic runoff), boiler ash deposits, and fuel-oil storage footprints.
  
  
• Status: Most have naturally attenuated under regulatory monitoring, though Phase I and II environmental assessments are routinely required by the WVDEP prior to modern commercial development or industrial park expansions along the Route 92 / Route 250 corridors.
  
  

5. Commercial Corridor LUST Sites (US-219 / Greenbrier Valley)

• Profile: Multiple historical bulk fuel distribution depots, former highway maintenance garages, and legacy service stations along the US-219 corridor through Marlinton, Buckeye, and Hillsboro.
  
  
• Remediation: Managed under the WVDEP Uniform Environmental Covenants Act – Leaking Underground Storage Tank (UECA-LUST) program. Tank removals, soil vapor extraction, contaminated soil excavation, and long-term groundwater monitoring wells have been deployed to protect the shallow alluvial aquifers supplying private and municipal wells near the Greenbrier River.

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Operating a live steam-locomotive restoration and heavy maintenance facility alongside the environmentally sensitive Greenbrier River requires a careful balance between preserving historic 1920s-era workshop infrastructure and complying with modern industrial, safety, and environmental standards.

The maintenance shops at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park—managed collaboratively through the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR), the State Rail Authority, and contracted operators (such as the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad)—employ several targeted environmental and workplace safety protocols.

1. Hydrocarbon and Stormwater Runoff Containment

Geared steam locomotives (Shay, Heisler, and Climax) require continuous lubrication with heavy mineral oils, cylinder oils, and journal-box grease. Because the Cass shop sits directly on the banks of the upper Greenbrier River, stormwater protection is critical:

• Oil-Water Separators & Interceptors: Drainage from the indoor inspection pits, wash bays, and track aprons passes through specialized oil-water separator systems. These units trap free oils, grease, and suspended solids before water can discharge into municipal treatment lines or stormwater basins.
  
  
• Secondary Containment: Bulk lubricant, gear grease, solvent, and diesel storage areas are fitted with certified secondary containment berms and spill-response kits to prevent leaks into the surrounding gravel subgrade.
  
  
• Absorbent Protocols: Crews utilize industrial absorbent pads, spill booms, and closed-loop degreasing basins for component cleaning rather than open-floor solvent washing.
  
  

2. Boiler Water Chemical Management & Blowdown

Steam locomotive boilers require intensive chemical treatment (tannins, anti-foaming agents, and oxygen scavengers) to prevent scale buildup, corrosion, and pitting in the flues:

• Controlled Blowdown Catchment: Periodic boiler "blowdown" (releasing high-pressure sediment, water, and treatment chemicals) is directed into designated containment sumps or settling tanks rather than discharging raw, hot, chemically treated boiler water directly onto open ground or into the river.
  
  
• Eco-Friendly Water Additives: Modern non-toxic, biodegradable scale inhibitors and water conditioners have replaced hazardous legacy chemical additives historically used in rail operations.
  
  

3. Coal Ash Handling and Flue Gas Management

Cass operates coal-fired locomotives, generating substantial amounts of coal cinders, bottom ash, and fly ash:

• Ash Pit Remediation & Quenching: Locomotive fireboxes and smokeboxes are cleared at designated, reinforced ash pits. Quenched ash is collected and transferred to dry containment bins to prevent leachate generation (which can carry heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and sulfates).
  
  
• Controlled Disposal: Coal combustion residuals are transported to state-permitted disposal or recycling facilities, completely prohibiting the historical practice of spreading raw ash along riverbanks.
  
  

4. Machine Shop Industrial Safety & Material Handling

The historic machine shop utilizes belt-driven line shafts, giant lathes, overhead cranes, and heavy press machinery dating to the West Virginia Pulp & Paper Company era:

• OSHA Compliance & Physical Guarding: Modern machine guards, interlocks, emergency stop switches, and high-visibility zone markings have been adapted to antique machinery without stripping historical authenticity.
  
  
• Crane & Hoist Certifications: Overhead bridge cranes used to lift massive locomotive boilers and geared truck assemblies undergo regular load tests, non-destructive testing (NDT), and certified structural inspections.
  
  
• Hot Work & Fire Suppression: Because the surrounding structures are historic heavy-timber mill buildings, strict Hot Work Permitting governs welding, torch-cutting, and riveting operations, backed by specialized dry-chemical and water-fog suppression equipment.
  
  

5. Hazardous Material Abatement (Asbestos & Lead)

Historic steam engines and vintage shop facilities historically relied on hazardous materials for thermal efficiency and preservation:

• Asbestos-Free Thermal Insulation: Locomotive boilers and steam piping have had legacy asbestos insulation completely abated and replaced with modern ceramic fiber blanket, fiberglass, or mineral wool lagging beneath the steel boiler jackets.
  
  
• Lead-Safe Maintenance: Lead-based paints on structural trusses, shop walls, and historic rolling stock are managed through strict encapsulation, negative-pressure containment during abrasive blasting, and HEPA-filtered sanding protocols.

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