Ely Shoshone Tribe Transforming
Former Dump into Recreational Park and
Economic Opportunity
A
Ely Shoshone, Nevada
proposed recreational park and economic opportunity await
members of the Ely Shoshone Tribe once redevelopment is completed
at a five-acre portion of a former landfill. With nearly $100,000 in EPA
assistance, the Tribe conducted assessments at the landfill and, finding
that contamination levels were lower than anticipated, conducted
cleanup and closure activities at the property to prepare it for reuse.
Ely Shoshone Tribal lands are located in White Pine County in the
eastern part of Nevada. EPA awarded the Tribe a $200,000 Brownfields
Assessment Pilot grant in 1998 to address the landfill and other
contaminated properties under Tribal jurisdiction. One of the properties
targeted by the Pilot is the five-acre Tribal portion of a 20-acre White
Pine County landfill. The landfill, opened in the 1900s and abandoned
in 1948, was suspected of being used by mining companies to deposit
leaching chemicals used in gold and silver recovery. Private owners
purchased portions of the property in the 1950s and 1960s, and in
the 1970s, five acres were put into the Tribal Trust. The landfill is
surrounded by private homes, and the property's potential contaminants
not only hindered future redevelopment opportunities, but were thought
to threaten drinking water for the surrounding homes.
The Pilot hired a consultant in 1999 to conduct an initial assessment
of the five-acre portion of the landfill, and in 2001, EPA Region 9
provided a Targeted Brownfields Assessment to conduct a more
detailed assessment. These assessments revealed that contaminants—
including volatile organic compounds, herbicides, pesticides, and
metals—were at levels low enough to allow the waste to be classified
as non-hazardous, allowing the Tribe to properly remove the waste
and dispose of it at the operating Ely Regional Landfill. The Tribe
partnered with Indian Health Services' Office of Environmental Health
and Engineering to execute cleanup activities. The area was capped
with approximately 11,000 cubic yards of soil. The Ely Shoshone Tribe
also procured the services of a local contractor to perform the capping
of the five-acre landfill after cleanup. The cleanup for the Ely Shoshone
continued
Aerial view of the Ely Landfill.
JUST THE FACTS:
• EPA awarded the Tribe a $200,000
Brownfields Assessment grant to
address part of an abandoned landfill
and other contaminated properties
under Tribal jurisdiction.
• Contamination uncertainties with the
abandoned landfill were lowering
surrounding property values and raising
concerns about drinking water for
local residents.
• Assessments alleviated these
contaminant concerns and allowed
plans for safely capping the landfill
with clean soil to proceed.
One of the Tribe's
former brownfields has been
redeveloped into a Travel Center that
includes a convenience store, gas
station, deli, gift shop, and smoke
shop; and amenities such as a lounge,
showers, and laundry facilities. This
project has served as a catalyst for the
area's economic and social growth-
bringing the Tribe into a new era of
economic development.
-------
Tribe's Brownfields project was completed in October 2003 and cost $56,815 with
the Tribe leveraging $15,354 of the total amount.
The Ely Shoshone Tribe has involved its members throughout the reuse
planning process to ensure the Tribal community supports the five-acre
landfill project. Pilot funds supported outreach efforts that included
public meetings with site reuse discussions and production of a monthly
"Environmental Newsletter" that provided project updates. The Ely
Shoshone Tribe is considering development of a recreational facility on
the property and is currently seeking funding for this end use.
CONTACTS:
For more information contact
U.S. EPA REGION 9
(415)947-8000
Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
The Ely Shoshone Tribe was awarded funds totaling $1.3 million
dollars from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's
Community Development Block Grant and the U.S. Department of
Commerce's Economic Development Administration. These funds were used to
construct a 5,100 square foot Travel Center, which opened for business in May 2004,
on a neighboring 30-acre parcel of Tribal Trust Land. The Travel Center houses a convenience store,
gas station, deli, gift shop, smoke shop, and trucker amenities consisting of a lounge, showers, and
laundry facilities. This project brought the Ely Shoshone Tribe into a new era of economic development.
The construction of the Travel Center is a catalyst for the economic and social growth of the area, and
provides infrastructure for further development of the former landfill.
The Tribe is also working with White Pine County Commissioners to address the county's portion of the
landfill. The Tribe and the County hope that eventually the entire former landfill will be redeveloped.
The Ely Shoshone Tribe looks forward to undertaking preparations for reuse of the former landfill.
Brownfields Success Story
Tribe Transforming Former Dump into Recreational Park
Ely Shoshone, Nevada
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA-560-F-08-302
September 2008
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
------- |