Redevelopment cannot take place at this site until it
is known whether contamination exists. Contamination
was found on some of these parcels. SEED has entered
into Washington's Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP).
To date, EPA has conducted TBAs on 14 of the parcels.
New Campus to be Built
Lake Washington Technical College
Redmond, Washington
The Lake Washington Technical College in Redmond,
Washington began as a U.S. Army Field Maintenance
Shop. In the early 1960s it supported Nike missiles
installed east of Redmond. In the late 1970s the college
(then the Lake Washington School District) came on the
scene, using about half of the facility for trades courses
including auto shop.
In 2001, the state awarded funding to the college for
redevelopment. The old college building will be
demolished, and a new campus will be built designed
to meet the needs of a 21st century community and
college. When the college reviewed the work associated
with total site renewal, questions came up about past
hazardous waste handling practices and the potential
need for cleanup.
In summer 2001, EPA did a Targeted Brownfields
Assessment at the site. Soil and groundwater sampling
indicated that there was a small amount of contamination
present at the site. The college contacted the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers for assistance with the cleanup as
it is likely the contamination resulted from past
Department of Defense activities. The Corps conducted
additional sampling. Results from this sampling
indicated that the contamination was very limited and
posed no threat. The college is now preceding with
construction plans.
Old Orchard to Become Public Park
Wenatchee, Washington
The City of Wenatchee currently owns this property
and is interested in developing it into a public park. It
is the site of an old apple orchard, no longer in use. The
city was interested in rinding out whether past farming
practices here caused contamination, and requested that
EPA do a TBA. This assessment found inorganics, organic
compounds and chlorinated pesticides in a number of
sample locations. However, very few samples were
found where contaminants measured above applicable
residential cleanup standards. The city remains interested
in developing a park on this property, and will probably
ask for a city-wide vote witnin the next several years.
Targeted Brownfields
Assessment Sites
July 2003
EPA910-F-02-001
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
Region 10
1200 6th Avenue, ECL-115, Seattle WA 98101
The
Targeted
Brownfields
Assessment
(TBA) Program
Are you a municipality interested in
learning about ways to redevelop
contaminated sites in your
community?
EPA Region 10 can help!
I. Anchorage,AK
2. Seattle, WA
3. Wenatchee, WA
4. Burns, OR
5. FortYukon.AK
6. Ugashik,AK
7. Redmond, WA
8. Soda Springs, ID
9. Adair Village, OR
10. Annette Island, AK
Sampling Soils at Rainier Court
Seattle, Washington
-------
A Brownfields site is a vacant or underused
facility where actual or perceived contamination
complicates redevelopment. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can help
you find ways to redevelop your Brownfield
through our Targeted Brownfields Assessment
(TBA) Program. A TBA is an EPA study that
determines what type(s) of contamination exist
and do not exist at a site, and therefore can reduce
uncertainties about site contamination. If requested,
the assessment may also include an analysis of
cleanup options and cost estimates.
Under the TBA Program, EPA is doing targeted
assessments at Brownfields sites in Washington,
Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. See below for some
EPA stories.
EPA Region 10 is currently offering these
assessments to public or non-profit entities
(including tribes) interested in redeveloping
abandoned or underused properties.
Environmental consultants already under contract
with EPA will do the Targeted Brownfields
Assessments. The value of each assessment is
approximately $50,000.
Who Can Apply?
These environmental site assessments are available
to public, quasi-public and non-profit entities (including
municipalities, tribal governments and community
development organizations).
To qualify for an assessment, there must be a potential
release of hazardous substances at the site.
EPA will generally approve expenditures for TBAs
when the property is publicly held. EPA will consider
spending TBA funds at a privately held Brownfields
site where a public or non-profit party can show
significant public benefit from redevelopment. EPA's
selection process will be aimed at projects where a party
has concrete redevelopment plans for the site once the
assessment is complete. Redevelopment can mean
creating commercial, industrial, recreational or
conservation uses. Some developments that TBAs have
helped start include parks, shops, apartments, libraries,
and community centers.
If you have any questions regarding this program or
the application process, please contact
Joanne LaBaw at (206)553-2594
E-mail: labaw.joanne@epa.gov.
For sites in Oregon, please contact
Gil Wister at (503) 229-5512
EPA toll-free number: 1-800-424-4372
Mailing Address:
Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Sixth Avenue, ECL-115
Seattle, Washington 98101
Targeted Brownfields Assessments:
What's Happening in EPA Region 10
Casino Helps Revitalize Burns Paiute
Reservation Community
Burns, Oregon
This Brownfields site is on the Burns Paiute Tribal
Reservation within the town of Burns, Oregon. In the
1920s through the 1930s, this was the site of the town
dump. The Tribe envisioned the site as their best potential
area for an economic development project. However,
The Old Camp Casino
Burns Paiute Tribal Reservation
due to the past use of the property as a dump site, the
Tribe requested EPA's assistance in doing an
environmental assessment. In February 1998, EPA took
samples from the site. Soil and grounawater data were
provided to the Tribe in June ofthat same year. No
significant environmental or human health concerns
were found.
The Tribe actively pursued its plans for economic
development - they built a casino on the property, open
since August 1998. The casino employs approximately
25 to 30 employees; at any given time about 12 are
working on site. The Tribe is interested in building
additional facilities, such as shops and motels, to support
the casino. Some historic structures which were not
removed during the cleanup were restored and provide
historical points of interest.
Ship Creek Site Redevelopment in Works
Anchorage, Alaska
This is the site of the former Knik Arm Power Plant,
located along Ship Creek in Anchorage, Alaska. The
Alaska Railroad, a state-owned corporation, owns this
site. The Alaska Railroad and the Municipality of
Anchorage are interested in developing the site and
revitalizing the Ship Creek industrial area. A number
of possibilities for redevelopment have been considered.
The Municipality of Anchorage requested that EPA do
a TBA at this site, which took place in 1999. The
assessment discovered metals and petroleum-related
contaminants in many of the surface soil samples, which
have migrated to subsurface soil and ground water at
the site. Contamination was also found in sediment
samples collected in Ship Creek.
A developer recently purchased the building on the
Ship Creek site. The railroad still owns the land and
generally supports redevelopment. The city and many
businesses want to accomplish a major overhaul and
beautification of the entire area.
Building New Shops and Affordable Housing
Rainier Court
Seattle, Washington
This eight-acre site lies in the Rainier Valley area of
Seattle, Washington. This site consists of 17 parcels. The
City of Seattle and Southeast Effective Development
(SEED) requested that EPA do a TBA at Rainier Court
as part of the Rainier Court Brownfields redevelopment
project. The city and SEED expect to develop a housing
complex here. In addition, retail stores may be built. It
is hoped that finishing this modern, quality mixed-use
housing and commercial center will help boost the local
economy, and significantly benefit the local community.
------- |