United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
The following agencies
signed an agreement in
August 2000 to assist
Indian tribes and Alaska
Native villages with the
cleanup or closing of
dangerous open solid waste
dumps on their land:
Environmental Protection
Agency
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Indian Health Service
USDA's Rural Utilities Service
Department of Defense
Housing and Urban
Development
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and Emergency
Response (5306W)
EPA530-F-03-005
March 2003
www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-
hw/tribal/finance.htm
Open Dump Cleanup
Project Helps
Fight Waste
What is the Open Dump Cleanup Project?
The Open Dump Cleanup Project is a multi-agency commitment to help tribes throughout
Indian Country close open dumps, clean up waste on tribal land, and develop safe solid
waste management practices. Federal agency cooperative efforts initially have focused on
helping tribes close or upgrade high-threat waste disposal sites. Assistance, however, goes
beyond the simple closure or upgrading of die waste sites. The federal partners will make
resources available to help tribes develop and
implement comprehensive programs for
managing solid waste and developing alter-
natives to disposal. Assistance may include
funding for training, technical assistance,
What Are Open Dumps?
Open dumps are areas where waste is
disposed of without proper controls,
including regular application of cover,
controlled access to the site, and other
environmental controls.
planning, implementation, closure, and post-
closure activities.
Officials from EPA, the Department of
Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs, the
Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service, the Department of Health and Human
Service's Indian Health Service (IHS), and the Department of Defense are the primary
agencies involved.
How big is the open dump problem on Indian lands?
Nationwide, about 1,100 open dumps scar Indian lands, with 142 dumps considered
"high-threat" sites, according to a 1998 report to Congress by the IHS. There still are
more open dumps in Indian Country that have not yet officially been counted. If left
unchecked, the sites could cause health problems for Native Americans living near these
pollution sources. They also pose risks to the environment itself. To clean up or upgrade
all the sites, IHS estimates it could cost $126 million.
What has the multi-agency, Tribal Open Dump
Cleanup Project accomplished?
Tribes have used multi-agency funding to: close open dumps; develop integrated solid
waste management plans; establish alternative solid waste management options, including
waste reduction and recycling programs and financing transfer stations; improve enforcement
of illegal dumping regulations and ordinances; and provide public education, especially to
children. As illustrated in the success stories below, building partnerships with local, regional,
and national organizations and federal agencies proved a key component of program success.
Who is eligible to participate in the program?
The Open Dump Cleanup Project is open to applicants from all federally recognized
tribes and Alaskan Native villages. For more information or to obtain a grant solicitation
package, visit EPA's Web site at , or
contact Tonya Hawkins at 703 308-8278 or Chris Dege at 703 308-2392.
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Pueblo of Taos
Taos, New Mexico
Open Dump Cleanup Success Stories
The Pueblo of Taos used federal grants to close its 5.4-acre
open dump, identified by IHS as a high-threat site. For years, the
tribe used the dump to deposit household solid waste. The dump
existed near the tribal population, the Rio Pueblo River, and a
bison herd. The grant funding enabled the Pueblo of Taos to cap
its open dump, provide post-closure maintenance and monitoring,
establish a transfer station and curbside collection service, and
provide community outreach. The tribe implemented a solid
waste management plan in conjunction with the open dump clo-
sure activities in order to prevent the degradation of wetlands and
to protect the Pueblos' bison herd.
To cap the open dump, the tribe used a clay liner, a 18-inch
infiltration layer, and a 6-inch soil erosion layer. The cover soil
was hauled to the site because onsite soils were not adequate to
meet permeability requirements. The final cover was seeded with
native dryland grass. With surface slopes less than 5 percent and
surface vegetation growth, the potential for soil erosion is mini-
mal. For post-closure maintenance and monitoring, sampling
wells were drilled and drive points set to trap water flows down
gradient from the dump. Currently, the tribe is monitoring
groundwater for contaminants.
To assess the effects of a transfer station or curbside collection
service, the tribe is monitoring illegal dumping activity. The Taos
White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians
Mahnomen, Minnesota
The White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians used a Tribal
Open Dump Cleanup Project grant to clean up the Cherry Lake
Road dump site on its reservation. This highly visible and well
known illegal dump site spanned a 4.5-mile stretch of Cherry
Lake Road. According to Monica Hedstrom, the general assis-
tance program coordinator for the White Earth Natural
Resources Department, the tribe put the Cherry Lake Road
cleanup out for bid. The tribe was pleased when a contractor
submitted a bid that was significantly lower than what it
had anticipated.
All types of waste were removed from the site, ranging from
common household trash to large items such as furniture,
appliances, and tires. The contractor used heavy equipment to
remove the large items, and the tribe hired local residents to
pick up the remaining items by hand. One consequence of
using heavy equipment in the cleanup was the destruction of
vegetation along the roadside. At this point the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) stepped up, donat-
ing 1,000 trees to beautify the area and prevent erosion.
Building upon the success of this effort, the tribe began
working with MDNR, the three surrounding counties, and pri-
vate groups to organize three demonstration cleanup projects
(one in each county). The partners selected high-profile sites,
Pueblo Utility Service Board held public meetings, gave presenta-
tions at schools, and conducted community surveys. A waste
drop-off point was designated and an attendant hired to assist the
public during waste drop-offs. The waste is transported by Waste
Management to a nearby disposal facility. Presently, a solid waste
transfer station is being constructed, which will provide an alter-
native to tribal solid waste open dumping in the future.
The tribe worked as a team, with several federal agencies and
the All-Indian Pueblo Council, a consortium of 19 federally rec-
ognized tribes, to successfully close the 5.4-acre dump. IHS pro-
vided technical assistance and prepared plans and specifications
for the dump closure. EPA developed a solid waste open dump
closure/post-closure guidance document, provided technical assis-
tance, and reviewed all documents regarding the cover and post-
closure final plan. By working together to close the open dump
and develop alternative solid waste management options, the
team helped protect the health of the community and prevent
environmental damage to wetlands, the aquifer, and the Pueblos'
bison herd.
For further information contact Anan Tanbouz, P.E. at EPA
Region VI at 214 665-8195.
such as one site located next to a church, and worked together
to clean them up. These projects demonstrated the commitment
of the tribe and its neighbors to solving the reservation's illegal
dumping problem.
The council also used the grant funds to improve service at
its five solid waste satellite transfer stations. In the past, many
residents felt the user fees were too high and the stations were
not staffed reliably. With the grant money, the tribal council
evaluated the fee schedule for the stations and established
prices more conducive to residents. The council also developed
and advertised a fixed schedule where each of the five satellite
stations is open one day a week. Water lines, wells, and septic
tanks also were installed at each site to allow the stations to be
staffed continually.
Since the cleanups and the improvements to the transfer sta-
tion, most of the illegal dump sites have remained clean, and
residents are much more aware of the illegal dumping problem.
According to Monica Hedstrom there has been a noticeable
increase in the use of the waste pickup service and satellite
transfer stations by reservation residents.
For further information contact Dolly Tong at EPA Region V
at 312 886-1019.
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