Nevada, Division of Environmental Protection -- DoD Letters

he Washoe County Regional Transportation Commission is currently in the planning stages for the development of two new transit centers in downtown Reno and Sparks. As part of the site selection process, the RTC has applied for and been awarded assessment grants through the Nevada Brownfields Program to identify any environmental contamination at their preferred locations. These grants have been used to conduct careful environmental assessments at a preferred site in Reno for the CitiCenter project and in Sparks for the CitiStation project.

The Nevada Brownfields Program is making every effort to help the RTC utilize sites they feel would appropriately house transit facilities based on traffic patterns

and space considerations - as apposed to selecting sites based on avoidance of environmental costs. As a result of the environmental assessments, the Nevada Brownfields Program found no environmental impacts at the preferred Sparks location. Historic petroleum contamination was discovered at various locations across the proposed Reno CitiCenter site, but the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection is working to offset the additional costs, which will be encountered during site construction as a result of this contamination.

At this time, the Washoe County RTC is moving forward with property acquisition and transit center design. It is anticipated that the Sparks CitiStation hub will be completed by the Fall of 2007. The Reno CitiCenter is expected to be completed by the Fall of 2008. For more information on the project designs, please visit the RTC informational website

For more information on this project, please contact:

Nevada Brownfields Program Staff

Washoe County Regional Transportation Commission.
Chris Tschirhart, Washoe County RTC Project Manager
1105 Terminal Way, Suite 108
Reno, NV 89502
775-335-1876 phone

Project Photos

Victoria Square location of proposed Sparks CitiStation bus transfer facility. A groundwater monitoring well has been installed in the landscaped median to investigate any historic releases from nearby facilities."

Environmental consultants are using a drill rig to install another monitoring well at the Sparks CitiStation site. Three monitoring wells were installed in total; no impacts in the groundwater at the site were discovered.

A sonic drill rig was used to install monitoring wells at the proposed Reno CitiCenter site. The sonic drill rig facilitates the installation of wells in the rocky soils of downtown Reno

A figure from the environmental assessment report for the Reno CitiCenter site shows areas of scattered petroleum (TPH) contamination.

Another figure from the environmental assessment report showing detectable but low-levels of petroleum and solvent contamination in the groundwater underneath the site.

An artist's rendering of the proposed CitiStation facility in Sparks at the Victorian Square

One of four conceptual designs being considered for the CitiCenter public transit facility for downtown Reno