EPA Land Revitalization Technical Assistance Project
Active and Former Sugar Beet
Facilities in Colorado
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), and the Colorado Brownfields Foundation (CBF)
have been working with towns in Colorado to evaluate the challenges associated with sugar beet processing facilities and
Background
One of the early drivers of agro-industrial growth in
the West was sugar beet planting and processing.
Between the years of 1899 and the early 1920s,
over 20 sugar beet processing facilities were
constructed in Colorado. Given market conditions,
water limitations, labor shortages, and other
factors, the sugar beet processing industry declined
steadily in Colorado from the 1960s to the present.
Currently, only one active sugar beet processing
facility remains in Fort Morgan, Colorado.
In addition to direct economic impacts such as
decreased employment and tax revenues, the
decline of the sugar beet processing industry left
a legacy of environmental and redevelopment
challenges in high plains communities. One of the
challenges with site redevelopment is the presence
of large amounts of sugar beet lime (SBL) waste
generated as a by-product of sugar beet processing.
This material was generated in large volumes and
can impact the structural integrity of land, preventing
its use for new purposes. Another challenge is
the potential presence of asbestos in the factory
buildings.
Figure 1 -Former and Active Sugar Beet Processing Facilities in Colorado
Brownfields Redevelopment Efforts
EPA Region 8 and CDPHE, working with the CBF,
have undertaken a number of efforts to address
the environmental and redevelopment challenges
associated with sugar beet processing facilities.
• In 2009, EPA funded a CBF project including
stakeholder outreach and consideration of
redevelopment opportunities and challenges for
the sugar beet processing facilities.
• In 2010, EPA completed a site investigation
at the former sugar beet processing facility in
Eaton, where drums left on site posed a potential
immediate concern to human health and the
environment and an impediment to reuse of
the property. The Town of Eaton now owns this
site and intends to redevelop it as an industrial
business park with a rail-served, mini-transload
facility.
• In 2010, EPA implemented a technical assistance
project to identify active and former sugar beet
processing facilities in the state and to collect
specific information relevant to redevelopment
(e.g., location, population, economic setting,
utility and transportation access, waste reuse
options, area industries, and other factors) for
three towns with active or former facilities -
Fort Morgan, Ovid and Sterling. These towns
along with other communities in the state are
beginning to work together to address sugar beet
processing facilities in their communities.
Part of the EPA technical assistance included the
development of a sugar beet facility inventory to
gain a better understanding of the sugar beet facility
universe in Colorado. The sugar beet inventory
effort identified over 20 locations that likely had
sugar beet processing facilities at one time. Available
information about these sites (e.g., location,
ownership, years of operation, operating capacity,
current use, acreage) was compiled as a starting
point for further work in this sector. Figure 1 shows
the locations identified to date.
-------
Sugar Beet Lime Waste Reuse Potential
One of the challenges associated with former sugar
beet facilities is the potential presence of high volumes
of SBL waste. Managing or reusing SBL waste would
help support efforts to expand, attract and retain
industrial operations, and would improve quality
of life by helping to reduce potential environmental
and nuisance issues associated with SBL waste (e.g.,
dust). In addition, finding a suitable reuse for SBL
waste would allow land currently used for SBL waste
management (e.g., piles or ponds) to be used for
other productive purposes.
Research conducted through the EPA technical
assistance project identified possible reuse options for
SBL waste, which included:
• Agricultural soil amendment applied on soils to
improve soil pH and increase crop yields
• Engineered fill or landfill daily cover applied to
construction sites, roads and/or at landfills
• Recalcination to return material to calcium oxide
for reuse by active sugar beet factories or paper
factories
• Cement kiln feedstock as a substitute for
limestone feedstock
• Ingredients for manufactured products such
paper, plastic, glass, paints, chemicals, ink, putty
and food products
• Neutralizing agent in local industrial and/
or remediation processes, including plating
operations, power plant flues, landfill operations,
acid mine drainage remediation sites, spent
sandblasting media, and sewage treatment plant
digesters
The two most promising reuse options for reducing
SBL waste piles were identified as using the SBL
waste for 1) cement kiln feedstock and 2) engineered
fill or landfill daily cover. Cement kiln feedstock
ranked the highest. Although, the cost to transport
SBL waste to local cement kilns may be a challenge.
Fort Morgan Sugar Beet Processing Facility, the only actiue facility remaining in Colorado
(LongmontB!ogspot,2009)
Current Status
Many of the former sugar beet processing facility
sites in Colorado remain abandoned, idled or
underutilized. However, a few sites have been
redeveloped as recreational areas, are used as
storage silos, or have been put to full or partial use
for commercial, industrial or public works purposes.
For example, the sugar beet factory site in Greeley,
Colorado is being redeveloped as a Leprino
Foods, Inc., cheese factory. The original facility was
demolished in 2008 and over 700,000 cubic yards
of SBL were either removed from the site or remixed
with other onsite soil as fill dirt, which made it strong
enough to build on. The first phase of the plant is
expected to be operational in late 2011 with the full
847,000-square-foot facility expected to be completed
by late 2012. The site's location in an urban
renewal district, which provides property tax rebate
opportunities, helped encourage Leprino Foods, Inc.,
to acquire and develop the property. The plant and its
500 jobs are expected to produce a major economic
uplift to northern Colorado, especially to the state's
dairy industry.
For additional information on the technical
assistance project, please contact Bill Rothenmeyer
at (303) 312-6045 or rothenmeyer.william@
epamail.epa.gou.
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Region 8 Brownfields
EPA-908-F-11-001
------- |