tate and Tribal Response 4>EPA
Program Highlights ^™
EPA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities
REGION I
PASSAMAQUODDY TRIBE - The Passamaquoddy Tribe used
Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct assessment
activities on two properties, the Passamaquoddy Public Works
Garage and the Penknife Lake property. Recently, the tribe
conducted Phase I and Phase II ESAs at the Passamaquoddy Public
Works Garage. This property was historically used as an auto-repair
shop and informal landfill for bulky waste. The property is located
immediately upslope of traditional shell-fishing grounds and is
currently used to store and maintain public works vehicles and the
tribe's winter road-salt pile. The results of the Phase II indicated that
concentrations of semi-volatile organic compounds are present in
adjacent freshwater sediments. The investigation also identified high
salinity concentrations in surface and ground water. As a result of the
investigation, the tribe will consider further evaluation of the adjacent
shell-fishing grounds and determine the feasibility of constructing a
fixed structure over the salt pile. Additionally, the Passamaquoddy
Tribe conducted a Phase I at a potentially impacted property on
Penknife Lake. Land at the Penknife Lake property will be dedicated
to the development and enrichment of tribal youth through traditional
activities such as hunting, fishing and camping.
REGION 2
PUERTO RICO -The Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board
(EQB) is using Section 128(a) Response Program funding to
establish a Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP). The EQB continues
to make progress toward the VCP by focusing on the identification,
redevelopment, revitalization, and cleanup of brownfields in Puerto
Rico. One of the initial tasks performed under the cooperative
agreement was the development of a brownfields inventory. To
streamline the efforts needed to complete the inventory, EQB
reached out to the 15 municipalities in Puerto Rico that currently
have EPA Brownfields Community-wide Assessment Cooperative
Agreements to request copies of their completed brownfields
inventories. The EQB used these examples to develop an electronic
state-wide brownfields inventory to provide valuable site information
to the EQB and other government entities.
REGION 3
DELAWARE - Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County
redeveloped the Mill Stone property into 21 affordable housing units
for the community. The property's historical uses include a cotton mill,
a textile manufacturing facility, a tobacco company, a phonograph
company, a dry cleaner/laundry service, an auto body shop, and
most recently, an elementary school with modular buildings (the
site's paving ensured that the property posed no risk to students).
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental
Control (DNREC) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to
oversee the environmental assessment and cleanup of the property.
Assessment results revealed that surface soils were impacted
by chlorinated solvents and by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs) and detected tetrachloroethane (PCE) above DNREC
standards in the groundwater. Several tons of PAH-contaminated
soils were excavated and a vapor barrier system was installed
under the building slabs to prevent the migration of soil gas into the
residences. Cleanup activities also included the installation of a cap
and cover system made up of two feet of DNREC-approved clean
fill. Construction is now complete and the dedication of the new
neighborhood took place on September 6, 2013.
REGION 4
TENNESEE -A 13.3 mile stretch of the Greater Memphis Greenline
in Shelby County was made possible by an EPA Section 104(k)
Brownfields Assessment grant and Section 128(a) Response
Program funding. The hazardous substance Assessment grant,
awarded in 2008, was used to assess a stretch of 100-foot wide
abandoned railroad corridor running from Cordova to Memphis. The
area around this corridor became a dumping ground for household
and industrial debris over the last several decades. The Tennessee
Department of Environmental Conservation then used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to provide oversight of cleanup activities.
The corridor was redeveloped as a rails-to-trails greenspace
for residents to use for walking, bicycling and other recreational
activities.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
July/August 2013
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Greater Memphis Rails-to-Trails Greenline.
REGION 5
MINNESOTA- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide technical
oversight of the remedial investigation and cleanup of the Van Hoven/
Armour Rendering Site in South St. Paul. This property and the
surrounding area were used for stockyards, railroads, and meat-
processing facilities since the late 1800s. Assessment activities
revealed that the soil was contaminated with petroleum, arsenic
and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and contained debris
consisting of bricks, glass, steel, slag, sawdust, and concrete.
Approximately 20,600 tons of contaminated soil and debris were
excavated and disposed in a permitted landfill. A stormwater retention
pond was also installed on the eastern portion of the property to
accommodate future redevelopment, and any new buildings will
require a methane mitigation system if soil gas sampling shows that
there are still elevated methane gas levels in the subsurface. The
property is ready for industrial redevelopment and once occupied, will
provide a new tax base and new jobs after it has been redeveloped.
REGION 6
CHEROKEE NATION / INTER-TRIBAL ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL
(ITEC) - ITEC uses Section 128(a) Tribal Response Program
funding to assist these tribes in providing quality environmental site
assessments, and in some cases (depending on funding availability),
assistance with cleanup of contaminated properties. ITEC projects
include the assessment and cleanup of the Territorial Prison,
Supreme Court building, Cherokee Capitol Building, Cort Mall,
the Dotson Roberts lumberyard, Saline Courthouse, the Markoma
Property, and the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma's Recycling Center
and Petroleum Underground Storage Tank (UST) removal. ITEC
maintains several licenses to assure the proper implementation of
assessment and cleanup activities, including a professional lead-
based paint risk assessor, a lead-based paint inspector, an asbestos
inspector, UST inspection and remediation staff, a mold inspector,
and radon and meth testing professionals. This in-house expertise
allows projects to proceed, creating new jobs and promoting
economic renewal. Since 2005, ITEC provides technical assistance
to ITEC Member Tribes with eligible brownfields. ITEC staff
continues to take full advantage of outreach opportunities to increase
brownfields awareness and to promote ITEC technical assistance to
the tribes.
Construction Activities at the New Fairf/eld Inn and Suites Property.
REGION 7
KANSAS - The Kansas Brownfields Program used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to conduct assessment activities
on a 2.7-acre area in the City of Leavenworth. The assessment
was necessary to evaluate 16 different properties proposed for
redevelopment as a Marriot Brand Hotel and Convention Center.
The assessments did not identify any recognized environmental
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
July/August 2013
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contamination, clearing the way for redevelopment. Following
assessments, the city began demolition activities to remove several
dilapidated homes from the redevelopment area, and completed site
grading. Leavenworth Hotel Partners purchased the property from
the city at the end of 2012. Construction of the new Fairfield Inn and
Suites commenced in May 2013 and is ongoing, with an anticipated
completion date in the Spring of 2014. A total of approximately $6.3
million in redevelopment funding has been leveraged for property
development and hotel construction. In addition, the 91-room hotel
will create 25 to 27 new jobs, contributing to the employment and
economic needs of the Leavenworth community.
REGION 8
FLANDREAU SANTEE SIOUX-The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal
Response Program (TRP) cleaned up four properties. The properties
were assessed using EPA Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA)
Program funding and the TRP used Section 128(a) Response
Program funds to conduct cleanup activities with the assistance of a
qualified environmental professional. The tribe worked closely with
the South Dakota Historic Preservation Office to address National
Historic Preservation Act 106 requirements because the properties
had structures over 50 years old. One of the structures had asbestos
containing vermiculite that had been used for insulation; collapsed
ceiling boards had released the vermiculite throughout the building,
creating a hazardous environment for people entering the property. In
response, deteriorating asbestos roof shingles and other asbestos-
containing materials were removed and properly disposed of. The
properties are once again suitable for redevelopment—including
residential reuse.
REGION 9
YUROK TRIBE - For the past six years, the Yurok Tribe
Environmental Program (YTEP) has built a Tribal Brownfields
Program within the Yurok Tribe with Section 128(a) Response
Program funding. To date, YTEP has completed ten Phase I
assessments and three Phase II assessments. YTEP staff has also
increased its capacity in data analysis and GIS training. YTEP now
maintains the site name, location, GPS coordinates, description of
properties, photographs, changes to the site and other relevant data
such as positions of illegal dumping, underground storage tanks,
air quality and water quality concerns in a YTEP GIS database
that covers the tribe's Brownfields inventory. The inventory allows
properties to be evaluated in a systematic fashion to determine
which properties may pose a high risk to human health and the
environment, and prioritize sites for cleanup and redevelopment
based on the planning needs of the Tribe. This has allowed the
YTEP to share and incorporate its Brownfields GIS files with Yurok
Integrated Land Management and Planning Departments. It has
also aided the dissemination of maps and information on potential
brownfields during public Tribal events such as the Yurok Tribe Solid
Waste Advisory Committee, the Klamath River Clean Up, the Annual
Salmon Festival, and local Tribal Council District meetings.
REGION 10
ALASKA-The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC), a Section 128(a) Response Program grantee, received
an urgent request to clarify environmental concerns at a property
that was part of a new energy-efficient pilot housing project. The
Cold Climate Housing and Research Center (CCHRC), located
in Fairbanks, was in need of answers to determine if the former
community fuel depot located close to the selected housing project
property created any cause for concern. While the project property
itself was not contaminated, there was a perception that the adjacent
contamination could impact this project. The resulting property
assessment report and letter from DEC were submitted to CCHRC
and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),
clearing up uncertainties about contamination migrating from the fuel
depot. With unwarranted fears of contamination removed, this vital
community project was able to move forward with assistance from
the CCHRC, the Native Village of Buckland, the City of Buckland,
the University of Alaska Fairbanks-Chukchi Campus, the Northwest
Inupiat Housing Authority, and HUD funding.
Asbestos Cleanup Activities on the Flandreau Santee Sioux Reservation.
united states CERCLA Section I28(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding
Environmental Protection
July/August 20 1 3
EPA-560-F- 1 3-207
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