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/ ------- 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 ------- |