Best Management Practices for Controlling Exposure to Soil during the Development of Rail-Trails
This document summarizes Best Management Practices (“BMPs”) that should be considered before, during, and after former railroad lines are converted to recreation trails. These BMPs have been developed to eliminate or minimize potential exposures to residual oil or hazardous materials commonly found along railroad rights-of-way being converted to rail trails. This document also identifies locations and conditions for which the application of BMPs alone may not be sufficiently protective of public health and the environment.
These BMPs have been developed specifically for situations where a municipality has acquired a property interest in a rail corridor from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in order to convert the corridor to a rail trail, This fact sheet is relevant to municipalities: (1) with specific knowledge of a release of oil or hazardous materials through testing or other means and/or (2) without specific knowledge of a release, that seek to prevent the exposure of persons to oil or hazardous materials that may be present in such corridor until a responsible person conducts response action under MGL Chapter 21E.
Created by MA Department of Environmental Protection
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