Brownfields 2009 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet
Hawaii Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, East Kapolei, HI
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states.
communities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the
expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be
complicated by the presence or potential presence of a
hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. In
2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help
states and communities around the country cleanup and
revitalize brownfields sites. Under this law, EPA
provides financial assistance to eligible applicants
through four competitive grant programs: assessment
grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and
job training grants. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through
a separate mechanism.
Community Description
The Hawaii Department of Hawaiian Home Lands was
selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. Hawaii
(population 1,285,498) plans to redevelop the 404-acre
East Kapolei II site, which includes the target cleanup
site, into affordable homes for native Hawaiians on the
Island of Oahu. Native Hawaiian families typically
have significantly lower incomes, higher incidences of
chronic diseases, and shorter life expectancies than
other Oahu and state residents. The high cost of living
on Oahu exacerbates the difficulty of meeting housing
needs. The target site represents a hurdle to the planned
redevelopment of East Kapolei II. Years of pesticide
use at the site have left a legacy of contamination that
continues to pose a health risk to area residents, farm
workers who work the adjacent fields, and the
environment. Cleanup of the site will decrease health
threats and facilitate the redevelopment project, which
is expected to provide about 1,000 affordable homes,
1,000 affordable rental units, schools, and parks for the
community.
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Hawaii Department of
Hawaiian Home Lands for a brownfields cleanup
grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used
to clean up the 0.6-acre East Kapolei Pesticide
Mixing and Loading Area located off Palehua Road
in the Ewa District of Oahu. The site and
surrounding lands were used to cultivate sugarcane
from around 1890 to 1994. Elevated concentrations
of dioxins, furans, and other chemicals associated
with agricultural pesticides have been found in soil
samples. Grant funds will be used to construct a
geomembrane liner with an asphalt or concrete cap
over the site.
Contacts
For further information, including specific grant
contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
news and events, and publications and links, visit
the EPA Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).
EPA Region 9 Brownfields Team
(415) 972-3091
EPA Region 9 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region9/brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Hawaii Department of Hawaiian
Home Lands
(808) 620-9276
The information presented in this fact sheet comes
from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
accuracy of this information. The cooperative
agreement for the grant has not yet been negotiated.
Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are
subject to change.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA560-F-09-152
May 09
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