United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-98-226
July 1998
\°/EPA Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Turtle Mountain Band of
Chippewa, ND
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 Turtle Mountain Band of
Chippewa Indians as a Brownfields Pilot. The Turtle
Mountain Band of Chippewa has a membership of
more than 26,000. Approximately 18,000 Tribal
members live on or near the reservation, which is
located in north-central North Dakota. The Turtle
Mountain reservation has a 57% unemployment rate.
The Tribe plans to target the abandoned San Haven
facility in Rolette County. The facility is a former
State mental rehabilitation hospital bought by the
Tribe in 1992. Asbestos abatement atthe facility was
paid for by the State prior to purchase and all physical
liabilities were removed. However, the remaining
level of contamination that exists on the property is
unknown. The Tribe would like to assess the property
for other potential contaminants in the building and
the surrounding area before it begins the planned
rehabilitation. Suspected contaminants include
residuals from a coal burning boiler system. This
suspected contamination is preventing the Tribe from
adding the property to its trust land, and turning the
abandoned site into a tourism office and natural
history park. The Tribe anticipatesthatredevelopment
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Turtle Mountain Band of
Chippewa, North Dakota
Date of Announcement:
July 1998
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
the abandoned San
Haven facility, a former
State mental rehabilitation
hospital.
Contacts:
Turtle Mountain Band
of Chippewa
(701)477-0478
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 8
(303)312-6803
Visit the EPA Region 8 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region08/html/brown/brownf.html
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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would serve to stimulate the local economy and
supplant the 200 jobs lost from the closing of the San
Haven facility in 1985.
OBJECTIVES
The overall mission of the Tribe is to rehabilitate the
San Haven property, which would stimulate economic
activity and provide employment opportunities for
the surrounding community. The Brownfields Pilot
plans to assess the property and develop a cleanup
plan to ensure that no environmental threat to the
reservation community exists. In addition, the Tribal
planning department will prepare a redevelopment
plan and conduct a host of community outreach
activities throughout the rehabilitation process.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting environmental assessments on the San
Haven site;
• Creating a plan for cleanup; and
• Conducting community outreach activities to share
information regarding assessment, cleanup planning
and redevelopment of the site.
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 Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, North Dakota
July 1998 EPA 500-F-98-226
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