EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
Washington DC 20460
EPA/540/K-00/004
OSWER Directive 9230.0-85
March 2001
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COVER: Clockwise from top left: Golfers at the Old Works - a Jack NicMaus-designed course built on the former Anaconda
Smelter Superfund site in Montana; Children at an inner-city daycare center located at the RSR Corp. site in West Dallas,
Texas; Netscape Communications' World Headquarters, which is built at the former Fairchild Semiconductor site in California
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In California's Silicon Valley, Netscape Communica-
tions opens a new office campus - allowing the
software giant to expand its World Headquarters, and
the local community to enjoy the benefits of 1,600
software development jobs. Across the country in
Virginia, two parks are added to the York County
recreational system - providing thousands of resi-
dents with a new place to play softball and soccer.
Farther to the south, a critical maintenance and
repair center is built for the Dade County, Florida,
rail system - ensuring fast and reliable train service
for over 50,000 daily commuters in the Miami
metropolitan area. Up in the Mountain Northwest,
outdoor enthusiasts come from miles around to
enjoy a 2,500-acre wetlands area in Montana's
Warm Springs Ponds -which also provides an
important habitat for migrating Canada geese and
a breeding ground for dozens of songbird species.
And in West Dallas, Texas, an abandoned strip mall
is renovated and the first major supermarket ever
built in the area opens for business. In addition to
fulfilling a critical need forthe residents of this inner-
city neighborhood, the new supermarket serves as a
catalyst to bring even more development to this low
income community, including the building of public
service facilities and hundreds of new homes.
Children's soccer at the
Chisman Creek site
(York County, Virginia)
Trout fishing at the Silver
Bow Creek/Warm Springs
Pond site (Butte, Montana)
Netscape World Headquarters
at the Fairchild Semiconductor
site (Mountain View, California)
New supermarket at
the RSR Corp. site
(West Dallas, Texas)
Commuter trains maintained
at the Miami Drum Services
site (Dade County, Florida)
REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets I
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Five very different success stories from five
different areas of the country. But they
have one surprising thing in common. The
Netscape World^Headquarters, the county
recreational facilities, the maintenance
center for the regional rail system, the
wildlife habitat, and the new inner city
supermarket - all were built on cleaned up
Superfund sites.
Many people still think of Superfund
sites as permanent toxic wastelands in
the middle of their communities. There
are vivid memories of more than 500
families having to leave their homes
when the entire town of Times Beach,
Missouri, had to be closed because of
the discovery of dioxin. And in Love
Canal, New York, -more than 900 families had to be
relocated when hazardous wastes-leached from an
industrial landfill contaminating nearby homes.
Superfund evokes images of workers in "moon
suits" and areas fenced off with large "Danger-
Keep Out" signs. ,
That was the 1980s. Two decades later, much has
changed: In Times Beach, 265,000 tons of dioxin-
contaminated soil was dug up and incinerated.
Thanks to new habitat management practices,
Times Beach is now an extensive bird sanctuary and
migratory bird waterway. At Love Canal, cleanup
activities included demolition of the contaminated
houses and construction of a specially designed
system that permanently entombs the toxic
materials. As a result, all contamination is safely
contained. .Families are now moving back into the
area and more than 200 new homes have been sold.
Bird sanctuaries. Revitalized neighborhoods. These
are the new images of Superfund. Other images
include Jack Nicklaus teeing off at a golf course that
Distribution of successfully used
Superfund sites around the country
he designed at a closed copper smelter in Montana.
Or a Home Depot opening at a site that was once
a radium processing plant - bringing new jobs and
income to a disadvantaged community near
downtown Denver.
Areas that were once dangerous are now being
cleaned up and turned into office parks, playing
fields, industrial centers, shopping centers, residen-
tial areas, tourist centers, and wetlands. Sites that
were once abandoned or underused have now
become valuable community resources. Areas that
once helped to pull the local economy down are
now generating new tax revenue and serving as
catalysts for broader revitalization.
There have been more than 170 success stories at
Superfund sites in all areas of the country- over
130 of them involving totally new uses fora site.
But this is just the beginning. These successes will
be repeated at hundreds of other Superfund sites in
the next few years. 'One could be at a site in your
community.
2 « REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets
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How Superfund Sites Have Been Safely and
Productively Reused
The stories of successful reuse differ
because communities differ. And the
reuse of each Superfund site begins and
ends with the needs of the particular
community in which the site is located.
Golf and Smelter Slag?
Nicklaus Shows How It "Works"
It wasn't Jack Nicklaus who first decided to
build the Old Works Golf Course at a shut-
down copper smelting facility in Anaconda,
Montana. It was the
people of Anaconda
working together with
their local government,
the U.S. Environmen-
tal Protection Agency
(EPA), and the owner
of the site, the
Atlantic Richfield
Company (ARCO).
Anaconda-
Then: Shut-down
copper smelter
for making this happen.. .We took
something that was entirely a negative,
costing too much money and taking
too much time, and turned it into
something positive/or the community."
Sandy Stash,
f^ ARCO's Montana facilities rnapager
Now: Jack Nicklaus
in "sland" trap
Central City-Clear Creek, Colorado
The towns of. Central City and Black Hawk were left
badly contaminated after a century of heavy mining
for gold and silver. Once considered the richest
square mile on earth, Central City had become an
economic and toxic wasteland.
Local developers, EPA, and the State of Colorado
entered into a partnership that took advantage of a
1991 Colorado law. The law allowed small stakes
gambling in order to preserve historic mining towns
and revitalize these economically depressed communi-
ties. Qnce again, speculators were attracted to the
..area, notfo/m/ne^sWyef.and;'go/d/6ut;torenovate ..',.
historic structures and clean up abandoned mine sites
for redevelopment into casinos. Three casinos are open
for business on land that had once been contaminated.
Additional casino projects are currently underway.
The attraction of new businesses to the area has had
a substantial impact on the formerly depressed
economies of Central City and Black Hawk, providing
over 3,800 permanent jobs and $57 million in total
annual income. The successful reuse of this Superfund
site has enabled the towns of Central City and
Black Hawk to. regain some of the wealth and grandeur
they enjoyed a century ago. ..'."'" .. , .
REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets
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The Anaconda Smelter was the backbone of the
local economy for a century. When it shut down in
1980, hundreds of people were out of work. The
smelter also left behind an environmental legacy of
more than 1.5 million cubic yards of soil, slag, and
flue dust contaminated with heavy metals such as
arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc. People
were worried that Anaconda would turn into an
economic ghost town.
Rather than suffer this fate, the Anaconda commu-
nity, ARCO, and EPA formed a partnership - not only
to clean up the site - but to preserve its historic
significance and allow for redevelopment. They
considered a number of options, but one day, Gene
Vuckovich, the Anaconda city and county manager,
asked: "Why don't you make a golf course out of
it?" His proposal was first met with "a few chuck-
les" and some skepticism, but in time, the partner-
ship agreed.
To ensure public safety and to protect the environ-
ment, EPA and ARCO used a variety of techniques to
make these sites safe. The EPA/ARCO partnership
treated and contained approximately 316,500 cubic
Water from Rainfall,
Sprinklers and
Runoff
Protecting the golf course at Anaconda. Infiltration from irrigation
and rainfall is recycled to support the vegetation on the fairways.
The clay and limestone cap prevents the recycled water from
coming into contact with any remaining contaminants.
Bangor Gas Works, Maine
For over 100 years, the Bangor Gas Works was the
location of a coal gasification plant. Vast quantities
of viscous coal tar, a by-product of coal gasifica-
tion, were stored in large underground storage
tanks and in subsurface pools.
A landscaped, full-service supermarket now sits on
what was once a toxic eyesore - thanks to a
partnership between the City of Bangor, Boulos
Developers, Shaw's Supermarket, EPA, and the
Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
Neighborhood residents - many of whom are
lower income, disabled, or elderly - now have
access to a full-service modem supermarket,
pharmacy, and photo lab. The redevelopment of
this site has spurred other projects nearby that
benefit the community, such as the construction of
two restaurants, housing units for the elderly, and
plans for three department stores.
The Bangor Gas Works site received an award for
Blue Ribbon Practices in Community Development
in recognition of the significant number of jobs
created. And the City of Bangor and Shaw's
Supermarket received the Neighborhood Partner-
ship Award recognizing their collaborative efforts
to.revitalize an under-served community and
improve the. quality of life for area residents.
yards of flue dust at the former smelter using a
cement/silica-based stabilization technique that
transformed the dust into an inert solid. The 250-
acre area of the golf course was covered with a thick
clay and limestone cap - topped by 18-20 i nches of
soil to support the golf course's vegetation.
In addition, a state-of-the-art irrigation system was
installed. Water from sprinklers, rainfall, and runoff
now filters down through the growing surface where
the water collects in a perforated underground
pipeline. The underground pipe drains into storage
4 o REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets
-------
ponds. A computerized irrigation system then takes
the captured water in the ponds and reuses it for
watering the fairways and greens. Situated beneath
both the topsoil and the pipeline, the clay and
limestone cap blocks any further penetration of
water into underlying subsoils. This unique and
complex system ensures that anyone playing golf or
walking on the surrounding hiking trails is protected
from contamination.
A key component of the success in reusing the site
as a golf course was the participation of Jack
Nicklaus. As Anaconda city and county manager
Vuckovich put it: "I think we interviewed seven of
the ten top golf course designers in the country and
we chose Jack Nicklaus. We didn't want just any old
course, we wanted a world class course."
As designer, Nicklaus took advantage of the areas's
spectacular mountain vistas and preserved many of
the unique historic characteristics of the former
smelting site. He used one of those characteristics
to create the most distinctive aspect of the course.
Nicklaus decided not to fill the bunkers with ordi-
nary white sand, but instead with black "sland" - an
inert and harmless sand-like slag left behind by the
smelter's furnaces. Besides providing players with
the unique challenge of hitting their wayward balls
out of "sland" traps, these black bunkers add to the
striking visual appeal of the golf course.
d-.an opportunity
with- the land, or not do something with the land. Just
give me the worst site, and we'll make something out of
it, because you can take land and do something with it if
you have a little bit of imagination."
Jack Nicklaus,
* z" >' vv * designer qf the Old Y)(orksxGo|f Course
Woolfolk Chemical Plant, Georgia
Woolfolk Chemical Plant began operations in 1920.
During World War II, the U.S. Chemical Warfare
'Service used the plant to manufacture arsenic trichlo-
ride, a key ingredient of poison gas. Later, the plant
produced lawn, garden, and agricultural pesticides.
. ;< . Qrice-contaminated antebellum farmhouse now reused as
. .Troutman Welcome Center r'-. . ' " -...
In the 1980s; the State of Georgia discovered that
chemicals had seeped from the plant into the sur-
rounding soil and groundwater. EPA determined that"
the contamination posed a threat to the town's 8,000
residents and would require immediate cleanup.
EPA worked closely with Canadyne-Georgia, the plant
operator, to remove 3,700 cubic yards of arsenic-laden
soil, along with contaminated buildings and debris.
Following the cleanup, EPA, Canadyne-Georgia, and
the local community met to discuss the best use of
these properties. At the community's request, a con-
taminated antebellum farmhouse was cleaned up and
remodeled into a tourist welcome center and office
space for the Fort Valley Chamber of Commerce. Also,
several contaminated homes were torn down to make
way for. a new community library. In addition to
attracting new business to the community, the reuse of
this'toxic waste site has rekindled civic pride. . ,
REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets 5
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In the end, the partnership
between the people of Ana-
conda, ARCO, EPA, and Nicklaus
created a course that Golf \ournal
praised as "world class... with
18 fascinating holes."
Internet Communicators
Replace Ground
Contaminators
"History may not repeat itself, but addresses
in the Valley do. In the '60s and '70s this
was the site of Fairchild Electronics, which
put the "Silicon" into Silicon Valley.
Fairchild was bought out, and in '95 the site
became home to then start-up Netscape.
Netscape's headquarters remain here - a
Superfund cleanup site, by the way."
. ,; ; :.,.-. .WashingtonPost
One thousand miles to the southwest in Mountain
View, California, there was a different community with
a different need. So that community came up with a
different reuse for a former Superfund site.
Mountain View is not a depressed community in need
of economic revitalization. Located in the heart of
Silicon Valley, Mountain View is at ground zero of
America's high-tech economic boom. Real estate in
Mountain View is some of the
most valuable in the country.
All the more reason not to allow
56 acres of that precious real
estate to lie idle. The Fairchild
Semiconductor Superfund site
was once the home of more
than a dozen computer firms
that used solvents daily in their
~ ' " manufacturing process. Hun-
dreds of gallons of these solvents were spilled into
the soil and groundwater over a 20-yea'r period. In
1981., the State of California discovered contamina-
tion in the underlying aquifer that provided drinking
water for 270,000 residents.
To clean up and redevelop the Fairchild site, a
partnership was formed between the Mountain
View community, EPA, the State of California, the
Are These Sites Safe? . .." "'';' ''"'..- "" -' .--.>
The Environmental Protection Agency's first priority at any Superfund site is protecting human health and the
environment. In fact, EPA is required by law to clean up a site so that it protects human health and the environ-
ment before that site can be reused.
EPA goes to great lengths to ensure that each site is safe before it can be returned to use. There is no "one-size-fits-
all" approach to cleanup. Rather, an individual, step-by-step strategy is taken at each site to make certain that a site
is protective of human health and the environment. At each stage, EPA consults with the neighboring community.
Here are trie steps that EPA takes to make sure a site is safe:
1. EPA thoroughly investigates contamination prob-
lems at the site. The investigation is designed to
tell EPA whether human health or the environment
is threatened by contamination, and if so, what the
nature and extent of the contamination is.
2. EPA meets with the site owner, the community,
and other interested parties to find out what they
anticipate the future use of the site to be.
3. EPA selects an individual cleanup strategy based
on the investigation and considers the anticipated
future uses of the site. Before proceeding, EPA
asks the community to comment on this strategy.
4. Site cleanup begins and is not considered com-
plete until the area is safe for the intended use.
5. After cleanup, EPA monitors a site until it is
certain that no future problems will arise.
6 REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets
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~~'.f'v~ *P * V- K "
' f \ r i -x ~ I '-/, -t
There are as many Ways to clean up a Superfund site as there are types of sites EPA tailors thejechmques and
technologies to the individual problems posecf by different areas of a site Here are some of the cleanup
techniques that EPA uses to make sure that all areas of a site are safe
Removal: Removing contaminants from the site to a
facility that can safely handle the waste.
Treatment Treating the waste at trie site to remove
the contaminants from the soil, sediment, or ground-
water:.
.. Recycling; Jreat/ng or converting toxic waste mate-
'.'.. rial to-rnake it safe and reusing :it for,other purposes'. .
Containment: Placing 'Coversover toxic waste . ,
deposits or barriers around,them.to prevent migration
andto'keep people from coming into contact, with
. the waste.. ' .-.." '''.' '.". '''..';.'-.
"Thermal Treatment: Us/rig e/evated temperatures to
render contaminants harmless by increasing their
volatility; immobilizing them; or.destroying them
though burning, decomposition, or detonation.
1 Solidification: Physically binding or enclosing toxic
contaminants within a stabilized mass like cement
1 Stabilization: Inducing chemical reactions between
a stabilizing agent (such as lime, Portland cement,
fly ash, or kiln dust) and the contaminants to
reduce their mobility.
Bioremediatibn: Breaking down toxic contaminants
by using natural microorganisms. ' . .
Chemical Transformation: Detoxifying contami-
nants by transforming their chemical structure.
Natural Attenuation: Using natural biotransfor-
mation processes such as dilution, dispersion,
volatilization, biodegradation, adsorption, and
chemical reactions to reduce contaminant
concentrations to acceptable levels.
At the Anaconda Smelter site, EPAandARCO applied several of these cleanup techniques to make certain that
the area was safe before it was reused. In different areas of the site, wastes were removed, recycled, treated, or
solidified. To protect people and keep animals from coming into contact with wastes remaining on-site, the ..
golf course was designed atop a thick containment cap. For future protection of the groundwater, the entire
course was lined with clay and limestone, and a complex drainage system was put in place.
The Anaconda site illustrates some of the many techniques that EPA uses, to make certain that former Superfund
sites are safe before they are reused - and that they remain safe in the future.
Anaconda after cleanup and reuse - Golfers on the ninth tee can now take aim at the smokestack of the former copper smelter
REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets
-------
City of Mountain View, and Keenan-Lovewell
Ventures, a local real estate developer. To ensure
public safety, it was necessary to excavate and
treat more than 1,700 cubic yards of contaminated
soil. The cleanup also involved removing several
underground storage tanks, and constructing
groundwater treatment plants on the property.
As the cleanup proceeded, Keenan-Lovewell began
plans to build office developments at the former
Fairchild site. The first occupant was high-tech
giant, Netscape Communications. Netscape used
this property to add a new facility to its World
Headquarters - an office complex that resembles a
park or a college campus more than the workplace
of 1,600 top executives, programmers, marketers,
and testers. Complete with cascading fountains
Colorado -":\ V : ;
The Denver Radium site was contaminated with
radioactive soil and debris by a radium process-
ing plant that began operations in the early
1 900s. Later property owners mishandled these
by-products that contained radium-226, arsenic,
zinc, and lead by using them as fill or foundation
materials. The site was eventually abandoned in
the 1980s.
In 1983, EPA began cleanup, excavating tons of
radioactive waste. Contaminated buildings and
.materials were removed and metals-contaminated
soil was covered with a protective cap.
In 1 996, Home Depot opened a store on the
once-contaminated property. The reuse of the
Denver Radium site has resulted in many benefits
for this largely. low. income and minority area,
including more than 1 10 permanent jobs, $1.9
mil lion in' total annual, income, and substantial
es.. in public .revenue .and surrounding.
' '
Then: Excavating
contaminated soil
Now: New
campus of
Netscape's World
Headquarters
and acres of lush greenery, this once-contaminated
industrial site now adds beauty to the Mountain '
View community while also adding substantial
income to the local economy.
These are the stories of Anaconda
and Mountain View. And their stories
are being repeated at communities
all over the country. Properties that
once lay idle - drains on the local
economies - are now being put back
into productive use. Areas that were
once dangerous and off-limits are
now places where people can safely
work and play. These are only some
of the benefits for a community that
decides to redevelop and reuse a
Superfund site.
8 REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets
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How Communities Have Benefited From
Reusing Superfund Sites
More High-Tech Development in Mountain
View
The benefits to Mountain View in redeveloping the
Fairchild site were immediate. The office campus at
the former Superfund site is an expansion of
Netscape's World Headquarters. The high-tech
executives and employees who work at the
Netscape campus collectively earn more than $ 153
million annually- infusing over $122 million of
personal spending into the economy and providing
more than $11 million in local and state taxes.
However, the benefits to Mountain View in redevel-
oping the Fairchild site do not stop with Netscape.
Other firms are either leasing space or building their
own office developments on the former Superfund
, site. The firms read like a Who's Who of the "old"
and "new" economies: America Online, Veritas
Software, Hewlett-Packard, Open TV, Nokia, Micro
Focus, Synopsys, and KPMG Peat Marwick. By 1999,
all the available .office space had been
leased and most of the remaining prop-
erty was at some stage of development.
A New Sense of Pride in Anaconda
In Anaconda, the benefits of reuse are
harder to measure, but just as important.
Anaconda was historically a one-factory
town and that factory closed down.
Unemployment was high and many in the
community worried that their town would
not survive.
The Old Works Golf Course not only
provides a new place for the residents of
Anaconda to exercise and have fun - but
has also created a new sense of pride In the com- "
munity. What's more, the golf course is becoming a
tourist magnet. People come from miles around
because they have heard about the unique and
. beautiful Jack Nicklaus-designed course. They
come to play golf - and find out that the area also
offers excellent skiing, fishing, hiking, and hunting.
So they come back.
As the recreational opportunities have increased,
new jobs have been generated. The new opportuni-
ties have also led to a rise in property values around
the Old Works Golf Course and an increase in
business investments. What's more, this attention to
the recreational ? -*^ ..
opportunities of
the area has
created a renewed
respect for its
ecology. The
once-barren
"I'm amazed at what they've
done. There was nothing living
out there before. It was desolate.
There was nothing out there."
. '. GeneColucci,
,,^;,;,./.r:lifeIorig.Anapi
More than just golf - Hikers on a trail that highlights Anaconda's smelting heritage
REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets 9
-------
landscape Is slowly being restored to its former
beauty. Trout once again fill Warm Springs Creek,
and the plant and animal life are flourishing.
New jobs. New recreational
opportunities. Higher property
values. More income to the
community. A new sense of pride.
These are just some of the ben-
efits of reusing Superfund sites.
New Uses for Sites Around
the Country
There are six categories for how
a site can be used: commercial,
recreational, ecological, public
service, residential, and agricultural. However,
these categories are not mutually exclusive. One
use usually leads to another, which then leads to
still another.
Reuse
Categories
« Commercial
Recreational
Ecological
Public Service
9 Residential
Agricultural
Commercial Use.
Netscape's transformation
of the Fairchild site into a
high-tech office campus is
a good illustration of
commercial use, but it is
only one of many ex-
amples. Former Superfund
sites (many in economi-
cally-troubled areas) are
now the location of retail
stores, small businesses;
franchises, family-run
restaurants, industrial parks, shopping centers,
and manufacturing plants. In fact, 117 sites are in
some form of commercial use.
Recreational Use. The Jack Nicklaus-designed golf
course at the former Anaconda smelter may have
received the most attention, but there are 47 other
Overall Benefits
of Commercial
Reuse
14,560 jobs
|450 million in
annual income
$360 million in
personal spending
$31 million in
public tax revenue
Silver Bow Creek/Warm Springs Pond,
Montana
[Ecological/Recreational Uses]
Years of copper mining had created a desolate
wasteland on this 2,500-acre site. For 65 years
miners dumped wastes into four nearby streams
that carried contamination from 19 million tons of
tailings and other mining wastes into the headwa-
ters of the Clark Fork River. In an attempt to slow
the harmful effect of the tailings on the river, the
Anaconda Copper Company dug three collection
ponds, which in turn became severely polluted.
EPA worked with the Atlantic Richfield Company
(ARCO) to clean up the area. EPA andARCO
removed more than 450,000 cubic yards of
sediment from the ponds and installed a compre-
hensive water treatment system.
Today, the wetlands at Warm Springs Pond are an
important habitat for migrating Canada geese and
breeding area for dozens of songbirds. The
wetlands also harbor more than 230 types of
resident or migratory wildlife. What's more, this
restored site provides the community with bike
paths, numerous fishing sites, and even an area
where dogs can be trained.
Pondsbride.fchoked with.mining wastes are. now a fish and
.wildlife habitat
10 REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: fuming Toxic Wastelands Into Productive Assets
-------
117
Commercial
sites where communities have
developed properties for recreational
use. Besides golf courses, communi-
ties have created playgrounds, parks,
boat launches, campgrounds, ski
slopes, and playing'fields for soccer,
baseball, and softball.
13,000 acres have
been returned to
recreational and
ecological use
Ecological Use. The once-
notorious Times Beach is now a
bird sanctuary - thanks to a deci-
sion by the State of Missouri and
several local interest groups to
increase the amount of green
space along the Meremac River and
develop the site as a park. At 28 other sites, there
has been a similar focus on ecological use. New
wetlands, wildlife sanctuaries, and wilderness areas
have been created in places that were once
contaminated and barren. Rivers, lakes, bayous,
bays, and streams have been restored to their
natural condition.
Public Service Use. In Florida, the Miami Drum
Services site has been redeveloped as the William
Lehman Operations and Maintenance Center -
providing a crucial repair facility used by the Dade
County rail system to effectively serve over 50,000
commuters a day. In nearby Georgia, a portion of
the Woolfolk Chemical Plant has been restored as a
public library. Similar public services are provided at
an additional 33 of the 170 sites. Other types of
public service uses include visitors' centers, schools,
and many different types of public works facilities.
How Superfund Sites are Being
Productively Used
This graph shows the distribution of the 170 Superfund
use success stories among the six types of reuse.
Because more than one type of productive use may be
present at a site, the number of uses adds up to more
than 170.
Recreational Public
Service
Ecological Residential Agricultural
Residential Use. Following the successful
cleanup at Love Canal, more than 200 new homes
have been built on this formerly desolate landscape.
At 16 other sites, communities are developing once-
contaminated properties as single-family homes or
using them for apartments, condominiums, or
assisted-care housing.
Agricultural Use. At eight sites, the land is
being used for activities such as growing crops and
providing pasture for livestock. For example, when
the Silver Mountain Mine in Washington closed, it
left behind 7,000 tons of cyanide-laced mine
tailings and a basin filled with 20,000 gallons of
cyanide-contaminated water. A partnership be-
tween EPA, the State of Washington, the local
community, and a local rancher resulted in the
cleanup and containment of the cyanide contamina-
tion which made it possible to once again use
portions of the site as grazing land for cattle.
REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets 11
-------
'[Residential/Commercial Usesj V. ':''" ".';".'..
For over 50 years, the RSR Corporation operated a
lead smelter and'disposed of battery material on a
skein West Dallas, Texas. The smelter sent lead-
contaminated dust into the surrounding community,
casting a toxic shadow over homes and businesses
within a one-mile radius. Approximately 17,000
people lived in the vicinity of the smelter - a
primarily low income and minority population.
Within a half mile of the. smelter, 10 percent of
children under the age.ofsix had lead in their blood
at levels that were considered unacceptable when
the testing was done in 1983. If today's standards
were used, almost 90 percent of the children would
have been considered to have unacceptable blood
lead levels.
Strong community
involvement has
played a major role in
the ongoing cleanup
and reuse of this site
- including the
appointment of a
bilingual team to
encourage citizen
participation in all
decisions.
The Dallas Housing
Authority is making a
major push to provide
affordable housing for
the low-income
community surrounding
the former RSR Corp.
Superfund site.
Hundreds of new
homes have already
been built-with
hundreds more
expected in the future.
Clockwise from top right: Children's play room at the Dallas
Housing Authority Headquarters built on the former RSR site;
Location of future homes; A new public housing duplex;
Interior of a newhome. '.'. . . .
Cleanup activities involved
the demolition, decontami-
nation, and removal of
various structures and
buildings, including 167
multi-family public housing
buildings. Today, blood
lead levels in West Dallas
are below national averages.
12 REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets
-------
The initiation of cleanup activities at the RSR site
has been a catalyst for bringing new development
into this impoverished neighborhood. In 1995, -
the community, EPA, and the Dallas Housing
Authority formed a partnership to foster the site's
reuse. That same year, a Carnival Food Store
opened in a formerly-abandoned section of a strip
mall - the first major supermarket development in
the West Dallas area.
The Carnival store is only one of many new developments
in this low income area. The Lakewest Multi-Purpose .
Center (started in 1998) houses a YMCA, a Headstart
facility, the Parkway
Medical Clinic, and a
local branch of the
Dallas police. People
affiliated with the
Texas Rangers baseball..
team donated a hew
ballfield, which was
built in 1999. And
the Dallas Housing
Authority is proceed-
ing with a major low- .
income housing
project that includes both the renovation of existing units and
construction of over 1,000 new homes. Hundreds of these
homes have already been built
Future developments include
Goodwill Industries, which is
currently in the planning and
design stage of a multhmillion
dollar facility. Much work still
. needs to be done, but the
future, looks bright for this
once-contaminated inner-city.
neighborhood ,.-...
Clockwise from top left:
Carnival Food Store; Lakewest
Multi-Purpose Center, which
includes a children's computer
room and community meeting
room; Youth ball field
REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets 13
-------
One New Use Leads to Another
In Anaconda, the golf course may be categorized as
recreational use, but simply calling it "recreational"
tells only part of the story. Golfers who come to the
Old Works pay a variety of charges, such as "greens"
. fees, rentals, and concessions. Also, since many of
those golfers come from out of town, they stay at
local motels and eat at local restaurants. All this
generates income for the community.
So this recreational use also provides new commer-
cial opportunities. And, in the case of Anaconda,
these new recreational and commercial opportuni-
ties caused the community to have a new respect
for the area's natural surroundings.
In Mountain View, the commercial redevelopment
of the former Fairchild site is just one part of a
larger plan by the city to link a nearby residential
community with the high-tech job center that now
occupies the former Superfund site. Plans are
underway to build light rail stations, parks, biking
trails, and open spaces so that there will be con-
nections (most of them walkable) between where
the residents of Mountain View live, work, and play.
Each community decides how far and how wide the
benefits of reusing a Superfund site will extend.
The particular uses will depend on the needs and
desires of your community.
5 S
Chisman Creek, Virginia
[Recreational/Ecological Uses]
.For. 17 years, a local contractor, used the abandoned
sand and gravel pits,on the Chisman Creek property
to "dump more than 500,000 tons of fly ash from
Virginia Power's Yorktown Station. In 1980, com-
plaints of discolored well water prompted state
agencies to investigate. Results of the sampling
showed heavy metal contamination in Chisman
Creek, in the groundwater under the disposal areas,
and in various on-site ponds.
A 12-member Stewardship Committee, composed of
both professionals and local residents, was orga-
nized to oversee the cleanup and redevelopment of
the site. The committee decided that creating a
sports park would be the perfect reuse solution. The
transformation of the site resulted in a number of
benefits to the community. Chisman Creek Park has
two lighted softball fields, restrooms, and a parking
lot. It-supports a 42-team softball league in the
summer and is the home of the youth soccer
program in the fall. The adjacent Wolf Trap Park
features four soccer fields, restrooms, a parking lot,
two ponds, and the County's Memorial Tree Grove.
The successful partnership of EPA, York County, and
Virginia Power, working together to coordinate the
cleanup and redevelopment of the Chisman Creek
site, earned an Environmental Achievement Award
from the National Environmental Awards Council.
And the Consulting Engineers Council of Pennsylva-
nia recognized the engineering firm that designed
the drainage system, clay cap, and recreational
facilities with the Grand Conceptor award.
Soccer, softball, and children in place of fly ash and
contamination
14 REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets
-------
How EPA Can Help Communities
On July 23, 1999, EPA announced a national
effort (called the Superfund Redevelopment
Initiative) to help communities return Super-
fund sites to productive use. With this
Initiative, EPA has put in place a coordinated
national program to make certain that com-
munities have the tools and information
needed for the reuse of Superfund sites. As
always, EPA's first priority is to make sure that
all cleanups protect human health and the
environment. Without compromising cleanup
standards, EPA can help communities and
other interested parties to realize the enor-
mous potential of reusing Superfund sites.
Partnership turns former Anaconda smelter into a recreational resort
While the rewards of reuse are great, the challenges
of starting on the road to reuse can sometimes
seem daunting. Interested communities will quickly
find that the road contains a confusing tangle of
technical and legal issues, which few communities
have the expertise or resources to unravel. What's
more, enormous amounts of money may be needed
at the beginning - with returns on the investment
not expected for a number of years.
EPA is available to assist communities on the road
to reuse. Some of the ways EPA can help include
providing assistance in developing partnerships,
finding the seed money, understanding technical
issues, and overcoming legal barriers.
Developing Partnerships
Partnerships have been key to the reuse of Superfund
sites. In Mountain View, a partnership between the
community, the State of California, EPA, and a local
real estate developer turned acres of contaminated
land into a beautiful high-tech campus. In Anaconda,
a partnership between the community, EPA, ARCO,
and Jack Nicklaus turned a town that many thought
was economically and environmentally dead into a
revitalized vacation spot with a world class golf
"From the begiritiing/eyerybody wanted to'make'tkk a '
win-win-win situation. It made for a very enjoyable project.
I give a lot of credit to the community and to ARCO."
Charlie Coleman,
course and year-round opportunities for camping,
hiking, fishing, and skiing.
Cfiisftian Creek, Virginia
EPA coordinated with state and federal agencies to
complete sampling, and health and ecological
assessments at the site. EPA, York County, and
Virginia Power formed a partnership to coordinate
the cleanup and redevelopment of the Chisman
Creek site. This partnership not only created two
successful recreational facilities, but earned an
Environmental Achievement Award from the
, NationarEnvironmental.Awards Council.
REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets I "3
-------
These reuse stories clearly demonstrate that partner-
ships with local businesses, large corporations, state
governments, and local officials are essential to the
success of Superfund reuse projects. For example,
owners of the sites may have the financial resources
- and legal obligation -to both clean up a site and
set it on the road to reuse. Local developers may
have the knowledge - and financial interest - to
make certain that a site is reused in a way that is
most economically viable. And local officials have a
vested interest to make certain that the new use fits
the needs and desires of their community.
Partnerships have been key to reuse - and a crucial
partner for successful reuse has been EPA. One
way EPA helps communities develop partnerships
for reuse is by supporting the formation of Commu-
nity Advisory Groups (CAGs). CAGs are committees'
made up of citizens with diverse community inter-
ests that provide a public forum for discussing
community concerns about Superfund sites -
including how the community wants to reuse a site.
Once EPA understands a community's concerns, it
can help that community find the right partners for
a particular site. For example; the U.S. Soccer
Foundation is interested in building soccer fields
around the country to help promote the sport.
Because many Superfund sites can safely support
soccer fields (and plans for local developers to
build the fields can be easily integrated into clean-
ups), EPA has entered into a partnership with the
Foundation. If a community is interested in reusing
all or a portion of a site for soccer fields, EPA can
provide a referral to the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
Finding the Seed Money
When EPA began cleanup operations at the Avtex
Fibers site in Front Royal, Virginia, a partnership was
formed by the community, private development
firms, government agencies, and one of the owners
of the site, the FMC Corporation. This partnership
conducted a number of workshops to determine how
the community of Front Royal wanted to use the site.
The community determined that portions of the site
should be used for various commercial, recreational,
and ecological purposes. One of the recreational
purposes emphasized by the community, and later
put in the Master Plan for Avtex Fibers, was to reuse
a portion of the site for soccer fields. So when EPA
Administrator Carol Browner announced the Super-
fund Redevelopment Initiative at the Avtex Fibers
site in 1 999, the audience included both officials
from the U.S. Soccer Foundation and children
from Front Royal who loved to play soccer.
Denvei'
, Colorado
EPA and Home Depot, Inc. agreed that the
company would participate in the cleanup of
contaminated soil in exchange for limits on
liability. With the two parties working together
early in the process, cleanup activities were
tailored to accommodate construction of a new
Home Depot store on the site. EPA and Home
Depot built electric and other utility corridors into
the protective cap, which ensures the integrity of
the cap, protects utility workers, and saves Home
Depot money in future maintenance of its facility.
New jobs'as-well as new shopping opportunities are the
: result of reuse at former radium processing site.
16 REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets
-------
Tfie first Round ofSuperfu
In 7999, EPA gave a jump-start to ten communities from all regions of the: country, to help them assess future .
uses of a Superfundsite. The jump-start came in the form of financing or service's from EPA or the parties who
have accepted responsibility for contamination at the site. Support was provided to a wide range, of communi-
ties for a variety of reuse projects. Here are the. first ten Superfund sites chosen as pilots: .
Roebling Steel, Roebling, NJ Roebling Steel oper-
ated from 1906 to the early 1980s. The community is
considering using the site as a park, a recreational
area, or for commercial redevelopment.
Midvale Slag, Midvale, UT Midvale Slag is a 530-
acre area where smelting and refining operations
occurred between the 1870s and 1958. The City of
Midvale has used the grant to prepare a reuse plan :
that proposes a variety of options, including ecologi-
cal, residential, commercial, and industrial uses.
Pownal Tannery, Pownal, VT e After a century of
operations, this former woolen mill and tannery
closed in 1988. The redevelopment grant for the
town of Pownal will be used to study a variety of
uses, including new public use projects.
Escambia Wood - Pensacola, Pensacola, FL The
neighborhoods around this former wood preserving
facility are ethnically diverse and have a poverty rate
above the national average. Initial plans are to rede-
velop the site for commercial or light industrial uses.
Tar Lake, Mancelona, Ml From 1882 to 1945, this
facility operated as an iron works. The surrounding
county has a high unemployment rate and low prop-
erty values. The site is being considered for light
industrial, commercial, and recreational land uses.
National Mine Tailings, Park Hills, MO This area
was heavily mined for lead in the 19th and early.20th
centuries. The county has the lowest per capita ".'
income of the ten pilot sites and a high rate of .';'.-'.-'
unemployment. The pilot grant money will foCus'on . ;
community coordination and commercial reuse.. "'/.':
McCormick and Baxter Creosoting Company,
Portland, OR This former wood treating facility
operated between 1944 and 1991. Although the site
is in an industrial railroad area, the City of Portland
recently purchased land to the north for ecological
and recreational uses. Pilot grant funds will be used
to investigate reuse options such as industrial
facilities, greenways, and open space.
Frontier Fertilizer, Davis, CA Frontier Fertilizer
operated as a fertilizer and pesticide facility from
1972 through 1987. The site is situated in a rural
area, convenient to the-Sacramento Airport. The
pilot grant will help the local governments investi-
gate redevelopment opportunities consistent with the
site's current light industrial zoning: ""
Many Diversified Interests (MDI), Houston, TX
MDiremelted and molded steel to manufacture
specialty steel products. Although the Houston area
is economically prosperous, the MDI neighborhood
average income is below the poverty level. The pilot
grant money will be used to work with the commu-
nity as it decides the best future uses for this site.
Avtex Fibers, Front Royal, VA The Avtex facility
made synthetic fibers between 1940 and 1989
before it was closed by the Commonwealth of
Virginia. The town of Front Royal has developed a
master plan for the site that includes commercial .and
recreational uses. There is also an area near the
Shenandoah River set aside as a conservancy park .
with hiking, biking, and nature trails.
These are the first ten pilots under EPA's Superfund. '.
Redevelopment: Ihitiativk. EPA will offer, similar
ass/stance to 40 additional communities'.in 2000. '.'. :
REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets 17
-------
Activities tfiat EPA
will fund under the
pilot program to
help determine the
future use of a site
Reuse assessments and
reuse plans
Facilitation services
9 Coordination among
government, commu-
nity members, and
organizations
Public outreach
° Training and workshops
« Citizen advisory groups
Technical assistance
The Avtex Fibers site
provides an excellent
example of another way
EPA can help a commu-
nity on the road to
reuse. Avtex Fibers is
one of a number of pilot
sites where EPA has
provided up to
$100,000 in financial aid
for reuse assessment
and public outreach to
help determine a site's
future use. At other
sites/the reuse planning
and outreach may be
financed by companies
which have accepted .
responsibility for the contamination at the site.
EPA will consider the results of the assessment and
outreach efforts when selecting a cleanup remedy.
In 1999, EPA selected ten sites from around the
country as pilots. The pilot sites serve as work-
shops where EPA, in partnership with the community
and other interested parties, can improve the tech-
niques for making cleanups consistent with the
intended uses of the site. EPA chose an additional
. 40 pilots in 2000.
Understanding the Technical Issues
Many Superfund sites present communities with
issues that require expertise in chemistry, engineer-
ing, geology, toxicology, and law. Add in the issue of
site reuse, and the community will also need
expertise in architecture, financing, construction,
and public planning.
EPA makes it possible for communities to hire the
experts they need. In Mountain View, EPA helped
out with two technical assistance grants (TAGs).
TAGs provide up to $50,000 so that a community
can hire technical experts to help its citizens
understand and contribute their ideas on a wide
variety of issues, including reuse.
EPA also sponsors the Technical Outreach Services
for Communities (TOSC) program to help commu-
nities cope with hazardous substance issues.
TOSC is a no-cost, non-advocacy program run by
EPA's five university-based Hazardous Substance
Research Centers.
Overcoming Lega! Barriers
There are many ways that EPA can help a community
with the often-complicated legal issues that surround
Superfund site reuse. Many real estate firms are
afraid to develop a Superfund site because of the
possibility that the firm could be found liable for the
enormous costs of cleanup - even for conditions that
existed before anyone at the firm became
involved with the site.
Bangor Gas Works, Maine
Partnership was key to successfully replacing an
abandoned coal gasification plant with a full-
service supermarket, pharmacy, and photo lab.
EPA provided initial funds for a preliminary
assessment and inspection of the site, and the City
of Bangor took the lead on cleanup. To assist with
redevelopment, the city granted $975,000 in
tax-increment financing and paid for a variety of
public improvements, such as street and sewer
upgrades. An additional $200,000 came from the
Bangor Community Development Block Grant
Program. Boulos Developers and Shaw's Super-
market invested more than $7 million to build the
supermarket complex, which has spurred further
development in the area.
18 « REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets
-------
The Second Round of Superfund Redevelopment Pilots
In 2000, EPA selected 40 new pilots, where communities will receive financing and other services to help
them assess future productive uses fora Superfund s/te. At each pilot, the parties who have accepted
responsibility for contamination are given an opportunity to provide financing or services.
EPA assistance may include personnel, facilitation, or funding of up to $100,000 through a cooperative
agreement. EPA provides financing for activities such as reuse assessments and reuse plans, public outreach,
and technical assistance. .
Alameda Naval Air Station (Alameda, CA)
Arkwright Dump (Spartanburg, SQ
Blackburn and Union Privileges (Walpole, MA)
Galifornia Gulch (Leadville, CO)
Central Chemical (Hagerstown, MD)
Central Wood Preserving Co. (Slaughter, LA)
Coeur d'Alene River Basin
(Panhandle Health District, ID)
Coleman-Evans Wood Preserving Co.
(Jacksonville, FL)
Continental Steel Corp. (Kokomo, IN)
Denver Radium - Operable Unit 8 (Denver, CO)
Eastland Woolen Mill (Corinna, ME)
GE - Housatonic River (Pittsfield, MA)
Hiteman Leather West Winfield, NY)
Hudson Refinery (Cashing, OK)
Industrial Excess Landfill (Uniontown, OH)
Lake Calumet Cluster Sites (Chicago, IL)
Li Tungsten (Glen Cove, NY)
Marina Cliffs Barrel Dump ("South Milwakee, Wl)
Martin Aaron Inc. (Camden, NJ)
Metal Banks (Philadelphia, PA)
Mountain Pine Pressure Treating (Plainview, AK)
Multiple Sites - 5 Superfund sites in Utah (UT)
New Bedford Harbor (New Bedford, MA)
New Hampshire Plating Co. (Merrimack, NH)
Niagara Mohawk Power Co. (Saratoga Springs, NY)
Oronogo-Duenweg Mining Belt (Jasper County, MO)
Peter Copper (Cowanda, NY)
Raymark Industries (Stratford, CJ)
Rockwell International Corp. (Allegan, Ml)
RSR Corp. (Dallas, TX)
Ruston Foundry (Alexandria, LA) . '
Silresim Chemical Corp. (Lowell, MA)
Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area (Butte, MT)
Tennessee Products (Chattanooga, TN)
Tex-Tin Corp. (Texas City, TX)
Torch Lake (Calumet, Ml)
Waste Disposal Inc. (Santa Fe Springs, CA)
Wells G&H (Woburn, MA)
White Chemical Corp. (Newark, NJ)
Yeoman Creek Landfill (Waukegan, IL)
Clean up proceeding at the
Continental Steel Corporation
site in Kokomo, Indiana. This
183-acre site includes an
abandoned steel manufacturing
facility, pickling liquor treatment
.lagoons, and-waste.disppsal
. areas.; Ppssjbi^ future uses of
, the site are for stprrnwater and
vs'ewerrhahagerneht,arid'as-;- : '
|: vyetiaridsfor wildlife habitat,- ;; .
REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands Into Productive Assets 19
-------
At the Fairchild site, EPA entered into a Prospective
Purchaser Agreement (PPA) with a local real estate
developer, Keenan-Lovewell Ventures. A PPA is an
agreement where EPA conditionally releases a
buyer from Superfund liability for contamination
that existed before the buyer began work on the
site. In return,' the buyer agrees to help EPA with
its mission of protecting human health and the
u^^u^o,*^, environment. The
Tools for Managing PPA requires the
Liability buver t0: avoid anv
Comfort Letters
EPA clarifies the level of
interest the government
has in pursuing cleanup
enforcement at a site or
portion of a site
activities that would
disturb the cleanup;
provide EPA with
access to the site so
that EPA can monitor
the success of the
cleanup; and, in
many cases, help with
the cleanup itself. At
Fairchild, the PPA
provided Keenan-
Lovewell with the
B Prospective Purchaser
Agreements
EPA provides property
purchasers with a
promise that the govern-
ment will not sue them
for existing contamination Assurance that it
'Discretionary Policies could develop the
EPA clarifies how the property without fear
Agency intends to f bdn found Iiab]e
forcondMonsthat
circumstances existed before the
firm began work.
In Anaconda, both the local community and ARCO
played active roles in helping EPA plan the cleanup
and redevelopment of the vacant smelter site as
the Old Works Golf Course. For its part, EPA helped
orchestrate an agreement that transferred owner-
ship of the golf course from ARCO to Deer Lodge
County and included a number of conditions that
have helped put Anaconda on the road to recov-
ery. One of those conditions requires ARCO to
maintain the systems that have been put in place
"This project - probably more than anything else - speaks
to the resilience of this community. This community went
through one of the toughest shutdowns when the smelter
was shut down. It was literally an industry that had been
here for generations. 1 think what this project says is that
this community was not going to let that get them down or
being named a Superfund site was going to get them down
.... This project would not have become a reality if the people
of Anaconda had not been - the people of Anaconda."
Sandy Stash,
ARCO's Montana facilities manager
i * * r '.
to stop any remaining contamination from migrat-
ing to the golf course area. Another condition
mandates that Deer Lodge County use all non-
operating revenues from the golf courselo sup-
port the continued economic growth of the
Anaconda area.
Central City-Clear Creek, Colorado
EPA, the State of Colorado, and local developers
established a partnership that facilitated the cleanup
of properties contaminated by years of heavy
mining and allowed the construction of casinos and
their support facilities. EPA also worked with city
officials to establish a cleanup permit plan for
companies interested in developing non-Superfund
contaminated properties. As part of this partnership,
EPA helped the local government establish action
plans that determine whether and how a developer
should clean up a given property.
EPA entered into a Prospective Purchaser Agree-
ment with a property owner who has agreed to
clean up a tailings pile in a residential area of Black
Hawk, outside the gaming district The agreement
releases the property owner from liability for pre-
existing contamination in return for specific commit-
ments. Several future agreements are anticipated,
resulting in the private cleanup of areas that would
otherwise be addressed at government expense.
20 REUSING SUPERFUND SITES: Turning Toxic Wastelands into Productive Assets
-------
Where Communities Can Find Out
More About Reuse
As Charlie Coleman, the EPA Project Manager for the Anaconda site, put it: Superfund reuse is
"win-win-win." All the parties came out ahead in the Anaconda agreement - and this same all-
around success is possible whenever a Superfund site is reused. Reuse helps to protect human
health and the environment. It makes land productive (and sometimes beautiful) again. And reuse
gives communities a new resource to enhance the ways they live, work, and play.
There have been more than 170 Superfund site use success stories. Hundreds more are expected in
the next few years. To help your community become one of these success stories, here is where you
can find out more information about the subjects discussed in this brochure:
;^, General Sources of information on 'Superfund Reuse
. The Superfund Redevelopment Initiative website is at:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/index.htm
For questions about reuse, either call the Superfund Hotline at
1-800-424-9346 or send an e-mail to reuse.info@epa.gov.
Sources of Specific Information on Topics Discussed in This Brochure
How Superfund Sites Have Been Safely and Productively Reused:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/success.htm
Are These Sites Safe:
http://www.frtr.gov/matrix2/top_page.html
How Communities Have Benefited From Reusing Superfund Sites:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/benefits.htm
.. ;. ; ,.How EPA Can Help Communities: ...
: http://www.epa,gbv/superfund/prpgrams/recycle/tdols.htm
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