State and Tribal Response
Program Highlights
EPA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities
REGION I
RHODE ISLAND - Located on the Pawcatuck River in the Village of
Shannock, the Knowles Mill Park was the location of various grist,
textile and woolen mills that operated for more than 100 years. It was
also the location of a fierce battle in 1636 between the Narragansett
and Pequot Indians over fishing rights. In 2012, the Rhode Island
Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) used Section
128(a) Response Program funding to complete an environmental
assessment of Knowles Mill for the Town of Richmond and an EPA
Brownfields Cleanup grant to remove over 600 tons of coal ash
contaminated soil. Redevelopment planning included coordination
with the Rl State Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission
and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer to develop a reuse plan that
incorporated the park's historic design, preserved portions of the
former mill building, and featured a Native American commemorative
plaque. The town completed redevelopment of the property as
a handicap accessible/Americans with Disabilities Act compliant
historic interpretive park that includes a canoe portage and launch.
A riverside trail at Knowles Mill Park.
NEW JERSEY - The New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection (NJDEP)—a Section 128(a) Response Program grantee-
oversaw the assessment and cleanup of the project area that was
transformed into the New Jersey Trenton Tunnel and River Walk
Park. The Trenton Tunnel provides direct access from NJ Route 129
to Trenton's Minor League baseball stadium and to state government
offices. But the tunnel's creative design, which offers beautiful views
along the Delaware River, also serves as the foundation for River
Walk Park. This 6.3-acre community park, which sits atop the Trenton
Tunnel, graces the South Trenton neighborhood with beautiful
gardens, a playground, and an historic walkway documenting the
city's evolution from prehistoric times through the present. NJDEP
oversaw the assessment that revealed various heavy metals,
semi volatile organic compounds, and historic fill from the former
industrial and commercial past use in the project area. Remedial
efforts included the removal of several underground storage
tanks, excavation of contaminated soil, recovery and monitoring of
ground water, and capping to ensure long-term protection. Since its
completion, the tunnel has served thousands of motorists and the
surrounding neighborhood. Traffic has been redirected from local
streets and residents and visitors alike now enjoy River Walk Park.
River Walk Park that sits above the Trenton Tunnel.
REGION
MARYLAND -A former dry cleaning and laundry property in
Salisbury will be redeveloped into affordable housing. The Sunshine
Cleaners Dry Cleaning Plant began operations on the 0.54-acre
site in 1928. In 1974 the facility shifted its operation to a clean linen
supplier for hotels and restaurants. The facility has expanded over
the years and now consists of a 19,000 square foot, multi-story
building with office and storage space. After operations ceased
in the mid-2000s, the owner's estate donated the property to the
City of Salisbury. The Maryland Department of the Environment
used Section 128(a) funding to provide oversight of assessment
and cleanup activities on the property. Cleanup activities included
asbestos abatement from the contaminated structures and the
removal of an underground storage tank. The city plans to donate
the property to Habitat for Humanity later this year to allow for its
redevelopment into affordable housing.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding
March/April 2013
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REGION 4
TENNESSEE - The vacant, 19.4-acre Brookside Mills property
in Knox County started its industrial life in 1885 as a textile mill,
employing roughly 1,000 people at its peak. The property went
on to be used for fabric weaving, dyeing, and sewing operations,
and as a department store. For a time, operators burned coal as
an energy source. The Tennessee Department of Environment
and Conservation used Section 128(a) funding to oversee
environmental assessments the city completed through an EPA
Brownfields Assessment grant. The assessments revealed no signs
of contamination and the property was deemed ready for reuse. In
2012, Holston Gases—one of the largest independent suppliers
of industrial, medical, propane, and beverage gases in the United
States—announced they would expand their business in Knoxville
onto the Brookside Mills property. Completed in 2013, this $10 million
project is forecast to produce between 20 and 30 new jobs.
Holston Gases on the Former Brookside Mills property.
REGION 5
ILLINOIS - Illinois is using Section 128(a) Response Program
funding to enhance the Pecatonica Prairie hiking and biking path.
The IL EPA's Office of Site Evaluation (OSE) conducted five separate
site-specific brownfields assessments in the City of Freeport, all
located along the Pecatonica River. At the CMC Heartland property,
OSE conducted an environmental assessment that resulted in the
removal of numerous underground tanks and the initiation of a
$750,000 EPA time-critical removal action. A paved hiking/biking
trail now runs through the former CMC property and continues to
Stephenson Avenue, where it intersects an area in which OSE
performed environmental assessments of two former gas stations.
At one of the properties, the tanks were removed and replaced with
clean fill, and the building was demolished. The other gas station
has yet to be remediated. In 2012, OSE collected soil and ground
water data for the City of Freeport on another parcel of property
that will eventually become part of the Pecatonica Prairie Path.
When complete, the hiking and biking path will connect the cities of
Freeport and Rockford.
The Pecatonica Prairie hiking and biking path.
REGION 6
OKLAHOMA- The new Devon Energy World Headquarters Tower
was completed at the end of 2012. At a cost of approximately $750
million, this new building is 908 feet tall—the tallest building in
Oklahoma—has 50 floors, and offers 1.8 million square feet of space.
Part of this property was previously occupied by Oklahoma City's
Galleria Parking Garage, which ceased operations in the early 2000s.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to oversee the assessment and cleanup
of the property. The assessments, which included a grid pattern of
soil boring samples, revealed soil and groundwater contamination
from several underground storage tanks (USTs). These USTs and
280 cubic yards of contaminated soil were removed, and 61,814
gallons of contaminated water were treated and disposed of properly.
The new building now serves as the northern anchor of Oklahoma
City's aggressive "Core to Shore" downtown redevelopment project.
REGION 7
IOWA- Within a 30-acre, former industrial site in Grinnell (pop.
9,000), a five-acre factory building built in 1962 had sat vacant since
the closing of a very important community employer in 1986. The
business had disposed of hazardous materials by burying drums
of solvents and resin wastes, and by flushing similar materials on
the loading dock over a concrete apron area. In 1992, under Iowa
Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) oversight, 119 drums
of solvent and resin waste and 360 cubic yards of contaminated
soil were removed by the responsible party. After a decade of
groundwater monitoring, a No Further Action letter was issued.
In 2012, the City of Grinnell and the Grinnell School District
approached the IDNR to further define and review the property's
environmental status in preparation for potential redevelopment.
Using Section 128(a) Response Program funding, IDNR conducted a
comprehensive environmental assessment that determined no risks
to the environment or public health. This allowed the city and School
District to pursue ownership of the property for an industrial park or
consolidated school campus development project.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding
March/April 2013
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REGION 8
TURTLE MOUNTAIN BAND OF CHIPPEWA INDIANS - The Turtle
Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians applied for and received an EPA
Targeted Brownfields Assessment grant for the abandoned Melroe
Manufacturing Building (MMB). The completed TBA identified several
potential environmental and physical threats. In December 2012, the
Tribal Response Program used Section 128(a) Response Program
funds to contract the remediation, demolition, recycling and disposal
of contaminated media necessary at the MMB. Approximately
800 square feet of asbestos-containing transite ceiling material
was removed and disposed of at an approved landfill. Additionally,
approximately 760 cubic feet of electronic waste was recycled, and
PCB-containing light ballasts and mercury switches were removed
and disposed of properly. The MMB is located along a state highway
that runs directly through the reservation, and it sits among several
other commercial and industrial buildings. Due to the MMB's central
location and existing infrastructure, the Tribe intends to refurbish and
reuse the structure now that contamination has been removed.
REGION 9
HOOPATRIBE - The Hoopa Tribal Environmental Protection Agency
(TEPA) has used Section 128(a) Tribal Response Plan funding to
develop a Compliance Program and deploy a full time Compliance
Officer (CO). The CO enforces two of the Tribe's ordinances
(Title 49, The Solid Waste Ordinance; and Title 37, The Pollution
Discharge Ordinance), issues citations, gathers evidence, presents
environmental cases in Tribal Court, and develops and maintains a
tribal inventory of contaminated properties. The Compliance Program
has successfully developed memoranda of understanding with the
Tribal Police Department, Tribal Court system, and Tribal Assistance
For Needy Families Department. From January to April 2013, the
CO responded to 31 dispatch calls, issued 10 verbal warnings and
15 citations, and processed 17 court cases. The deployment of the
CO and his ability to respond to environmental calls has proven to
be an invaluable resource to protect the health and welfare of the
community, as well as the environment of the Hoopa Valley Indian
Reservation.
Forrest Blake, TEPA Compliance Officer.
MAKAH NATION - The Strait of Juan de Fuca accommodates one
of the busiest waterways in the United States and is the primary
shipping lane for commercial vessels bound to port facilities in
Washington State and British Columbia. Because of the Tribe's
risk of exposure to oil spills, the Makah Tribal Council (MTC) has
been involved in oil spill policy and response program capacity
development since the early 1970s. Along those lines, MTC
recognized that it needed to define a formal working relationship with
the federal agencies that maintain oversight and authority over oil
spill pollution. Over the past few years, the Tribe has made significant
strides in working towards oil spill mitigation and prevention,
supported in large part through Section 128(a) Response Program
funding. The Makah Nation has served as a voting member on the
Executive Committee of the Northwest Regional Response Team and
was the first tribe to serve in this role nationally. They also worked
closely with the U.S. Coast Guard to develop a Memorandum of
Understanding to enhance consultation, leverage resources, and
improve oil spill response coordination. On April 12, 2013, an MOA
was entered into between the Tribe and the U.S. Coast Guard. To
commemorate this partnership in protecting the waters of the Puget
Sound off the coast of Washington State, the Commanding Officer of
the Coast Guard District 13 invited the MTC to name a conference
room in the Seattle Federal Building. This event was attended by the
Governor of Washington State, Jay Inslee, and by representatives
from Senator Maria Cantwell's office.
United States
Environmental Protection
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding
March/April 2013 EPA-560-F-13-205
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