United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-99-002
March 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
PA Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Aberdeen, WA
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower States, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. Since 1995, EPA has funded more than 200 Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of
brownfields solutions. The Pilots are intended to provide EPA, States, Tribes, municipalities, and communities with
useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site
assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the City of Aberdeen for a
Brownfields Pilot. Aberdeen has a population of just
over 16,700. The community, once a hub of both
fishing and timber industries, is now home to a
depressed economy suffering from a decline in job
and workforce availability. The State of Washington
has designated the entire area as "economically
distressed." Nearly 43 percent of the households in
Aberdeen qualify as low- and moderate-income
households, and nearly 19 percent of the population
lives at or below the poverty level.
The Pilot plans to target a 625-acre parcel that
comprises approximately 300 acres of contaminated
property and nearly 300 acres that are clean, but that
are threatened by the adjacent contamination. The
contaminated parcel is divided into two tracts—a
former municipal landfill occupies approximately
294 acres and a former sawmill takes up approximately
43 acres. The targeted site has also been used as a
truck repair yard and a dredge fill area for suspected
contaminated sediments. Although the site has been
extensively studied, further assistance is needed to
finalize the site characterization and to prepare for
site cleanup. Previous studies have indicated the
presence of hazardous substances, including
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), xylene,
toluene, and heavy metals in both the soil and
groundwater. There are concerns that the
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Aberdeen, Washington
Date of Announcement:
March 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets a 625-
acre parcel along the Chehalis
River that is contaminated from
years of use as a sawmill and
municipal landfill.
Contacts:
Aberdeen Planning and
Economic Development
Department
(360)533-4100
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 10
(206) 553-6523
Visit the EPA Region 10 Brownfields web site at:
http://epainotes1.rtpnc.epa.gov:7777/MO/cleanup.nsf/
webpage/Brownfields
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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contamination could create a threat to those living in
the low-income neighborhood of Junction City, which
is virtually surrounded by the targeted property, as
well as to area fisheries because of the proximity to
the Chehalis River.
OBJECTIVES
The site assessment work to be funded by the Pilot
will build on the prior and ongoing soil and
groundwater studies conducted by various public
and private stakeholders. With help from the Pilot
funding, the city will complete the site investigation
and create a collaborative effort among landowners
of adjacent clean property, owners of contaminated
properties, state and local agencies, the community,
and businesses to develop the target area into a robust
area with mixed uses. The city will work closely with
the appropriate state officials to ensure that the
efforts are coordinated and grant resources are used
in the most cost-effective manner. Once cleaned up,
the targeted area has enormous potential for nature
preserves, parks, waterfront activities, and tourist
business—especially to support programs relating to
the Lady Washington, a 1787 replica of an exploratory
sailing vessel, which is a focal point in the Aberdeen
area.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Assessing the contamination at the targeted site;
• Analyzing cleanup alternatives;
• Involving the community in selection of alternative
redevelopment uses and cleanup options;
• Assisting stakeholders in resolving liability issues;
• Identifying other resources for site cleanup; and
• Selecting a cleanup and redevelopment plan that is
protective of human health and the environment.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Aberdeen, Washington
March 1999 EPA 500-F-99-002
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