United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA500-F-99-149
June 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
SEPA
Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Pueblo ofAcoma, NM
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. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models;job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
by brownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssites and preparetrainees for future employmentintheenvironmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs 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 Pueblo of Acoma for a
Brownfields Pilot. The Acoma Reservation is 591
square miles, and is located in the northwest corner of
Cibola County, approximately 65 miles west of
Albuquerque. The Acoma Pueblo is one of 19 Pueblo
Indian reservations in New Mexico. There are 6,344
members of the Acoma Tribe on the reservation, and
the tribe's unemployment rate is 39 percent.
The Acoma Tribe believes in the importance of
preserving the environment, and has a demonstrated
commitment to environmental stewardship. The
reservation itself is devoid of valuable natural resources
and mostly consists of high-altitude, semi-arid land,
but farming does occur in the valleys adjacent to the
Rio San Jose. Tribal belief is that damage to farmland
and livestock impacts the tribe itself; the tribe perceives
environmental contamination as a barrier to its goal of
self-sufficiency and good health. Indian Health
Services indicates that two-thirds of Acoma youth
under eight are afflicted with a number of different
ailments, including tuberculosis, that are related to
environmental contamination on the reservation. The
tribe has identified eight sites of concern to address
under the Pilot. Of primary concern are two former
livestock dip vats (of five and ten acres) that are
PILOTSNAPSHOT
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Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico
Date of Announcement:
June 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets a
minimum of two sites on the
Acoma Indian Reservation
located near the Rio San
Jose.
Contacts:
Acoma Environmental
Protection Agency
(505) 552-9700
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 6
(214) 665-6736
Visit the EPA Region 6 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6sf/bfpages/sfbfhome.htm
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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contaminated with pesticides. Other brownfields
sites on the reservation include an industrial storage
yard, a fishery and irrigation facility, an old stockyard,
and three closed landfill sites.
OBJECTIVES
In 1958, the Pueblo of Acoma established a vision for
its future that included eleven tribal priorities. The
Tribe takes action based upon the objectives of the
vision. To date, the tribe has built a new school and
hospital, paved roads, and lined irrigation canals. The
Pilot directly addresses five of these priorities:
environmental protection; agriculture; education;
economic development; and social welfare. The Pilot
will prioritize the sites that pose the most concern,
then target specific sites for further assessment. It
will also assist in designing cleanup and redevelopment
plans for the sites.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Prioritizing potential brownfields sites;
• Conducting environmental assessments on at least
two targeted sites;
• Providing an outreach and education program to the
residents of the reservation;
• Conducting a bench test and treatability study at the
dip vats; and
• Designing cleanup and redevelopment plans for the
targeted sites.
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 Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico
June 1999 EPA500-F-99-149
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