Test Pit and Soil Boring Advancement Phase II Environmental Site Assessment Royal Electric Yard, Sykesville, Maryland

Under an Interagency Agreement, the U.S. Department of Transportation John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) is providing support to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBA) Program.

As part of this effort, a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) that includes a requirement for the advancement of soil borings and test pits will be conducted at the Royal Electric Yard (the Site) located at 7512 Main St, Sykesville, Maryland 21784. A 2026 Phase I ESA conducted at the Site identified historic automotive junking activities and small, partially buried piles of automotive debris in the northern, wooded portion of the site.

It was determined that there is a likely presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products associated with former automotive operations including used oils, brake and hydraulic fluids, gasoline and diesel fuels, mercury switches, asbestos brake parts, refrigerants, metals, batteries, and antifreezes. A Phase II ESA was recommended to determine if the historical activities at the Site or nearby properties have impacted the Site.

As part of this Phase II ESA, test pits and soil borings will be collected to assess any impacts from potential contaminants of concern. The Site is an approximately 4.1-acre parcel (Maryland Tax Account Number #05- 072190) located adjacent to Sykesville’s historic main street district. Sykesville is located within Carroll County.

Major features at the Site include a warehouse, adjacent woodworking shed, gravel parking lot, and access road in the southern portion, and an unmaintained wooded area in the northern portion. Due to a pending sale of the Site, the primary area of interest is limited to the northern half of the property. The Site generally slopes to the south, with the wooded area alternating between relatively flat terraces and steeper slopes.

A review of the Natural Resources Conservation Service National Cooperative Soil Survey shows that the Site’s soil primarily consists of silt-loam, loam, and complexes. The area just south of the warehouse is underlain by Glenville-urban land-Udorthents complex, which indicates possible presence of fill.