r Brownfields Training, Research, and Technical Assistance Grant Fact Sheet California Department of Toxic Substances Control EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, tribes. communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. EPA funds eligible applicants through assistance agreements to provide training, research, and technical assistance to facilitate brownfields revitalization. Organization Description The mission of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is to provide the highest level of safety to residents and protect public health and the environment from toxic substances. DTSC regulates hazardous waste, cleans up existing contamination, and looks for ways to reduce the hazardous waste produced in California. Approximately 1,000 scientists, engineers, and specialized support staff make sure that companies and individuals transport, store, treat, dispose of, and clean up hazardous waste appropriately. Through these measures, DTSC contributes to greater safety for all Californians. Project Description Mine-scarred lands in California are a major threat to human health and the environment, and a major challenge for brownfields revitalization. The California Department of Conservation has identified 47,000 abandoned mines in California. These mines present a threat to human health and the environment from arsenic, mercury, and other heavy metals, as well as from acid mine drainage and physical hazards. Through this project, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control will focus on the threat to human health from arsenic at these mine- California Mine-Scarre Lands Project Grantee: California Department of Toxic Substances Control Project Focus: Research to Advance the Science of Characterizing Arsenic at Mine-Scarred Land Sites Project Period: October 2008 to September 2013 Estimated Annual Funding Amount: $150,000 Contacts For further information about the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and its brownfields technical assistance activities, visit http://www.dtsc.ca.gov. For more information about this project, call 916-255-3730. For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields or call 202-566-2777. * The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The implementation plan for the grant has not yet been finalized. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. scarred lands. Arsenic is the key chemical of concern at the majority of brownfield projects at former gold mine sites in the California Mother Lode and Southern California desert areas. Due to the high cancer potency of arsenic, sites are often required to be cleaned up to background conditions. The project's research will advance the science of characterizing arsenic at mine- scarred land sites and improve the ability to determine appropriate cleanup levels at arsenic-contaminated sites. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA560-F-08-286 September 2008 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |