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EPA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities
REGION I
CONNECTICUT - The former Meriden Mall property encompasses
approximately 15-acres and comprises an entire city block in
Meriden's downtown central business area. Chronic flooding
problems have plagued Meriden's downtown for more than a century
and driven businesses from the area. The former Mall is part of a
larger planned redevelopment area specified in Meriden's City Center
Initiative (CCI) Plan. The Connecticut Department of Energy and
Environmental Protection (DEEP) used Section 128(a) Response
Program funding to provide oversight for assessment activities, which
revealed no contamination and cleared the Meriden Mall property for
reuse. The property will be part of a larger intermodal transportation
center development project that will daylight the underground Harbor
Brook and create the flood control infrastructure needed to eliminate
Meriden's downtown flooding problems. Plans call for the Meriden
Mall property to be transformed into a city center park with transit-
oriented, mixed-use development. The development of an intermodal
transportation center in Meriden is a vital component of the city's
downtown redevelopment efforts and will provide increased access
into and out of the downtown area via existing transportation systems
while allowing Meriden to attract new businesses, commuters and
residents to its downtown area.
REGION 2
SENECA NATION - Seneca Nation used Section 128(a) Response
Program funding to conduct a Phase II environmental assessment
at the Philadelphia Furniture property located in Salamanca, New
York. The warehouse and factory on the property were originally
built in 1911 by the Fancher Furniture Company. Fancher employed
800 workers and shipped products worldwide at its peak in the early
1970s. The Philadelphia Furniture Company bought the Fancher
Company in 1997 and continued to make furniture until 2008. In
2009, Seneca Nation purchased the vacant property and in 2010, a
massive fire destroyed the building. The environmental assessment
conducted by Seneca Nation included sampling and analysis of soil
and groundwater. The assessment revealed metal contamination
above Seneca Nation's soil cleanup objectives (SCO) in the soil and
in levels slightly above drinking water standards in the groundwater.
Recommendations include capping the site, deed restrictions, and
an Operation and Maintenance program for the cap. At this time,
redevelopment plans for the property continue to be discussed.
REGION 3
PENNSYLVANIA-The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) Bureau of Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields
used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to support the
Pennsylvania Statewide Remediation Meeting held from June 18-
20, 2013 in State College. The meeting was provided for staff from
the Bureau of Environmental Cleanup, Brownfields' central office
in Harrisburg and six regional offices that work under the auspices
of the Bureau, including the state's Voluntary Cleanup Program,
Storage Tanks Corrective Action Program, and Hazardous Sites
Cleanup Program. Numerous policy, procedural and technical
topics were presented by DEP staff and consultants, including Light
Non-aqueous Phase Liquid (LNAPL): Common Misconceptions/
Modeling; Vapor Intrusion Investigations — Planning and Techniques;
Groundwater Sampling Techniques; Erosion & Sediment Controls
and Stormwater Management on Act 2 Sites; and Biofuels. Breakout
sessions with program managers and chief counsel staff were also
held. Atotal of 121 DEP staff attended the meeting.
REGION 4
GEORGIA- The Midtown Greenway in Gainesville, once a railroad
maintenance yard and a stretch of abandoned railroad corridor,
is now home to a new green space built on the former brownfield.
The City of Gainesville purchased the 11.6-acre property from CSX
Transportation, Inc. in 2009. As part of their purchase agreement
with the city, CSX conducted all of the site investigation and
environmental remediation under oversight from the Georgia Section
128(a) Response Program. Site sampling identified the presence of
arsenic, lead, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in maintenance
yard soils. Remediation included excavation and off-site disposal of
1,814 tons of contaminated soil. The Midtown Greenway was the first
Rails-to-Trails project to complete cleanup and receive a limitation of
liability under the Georgia Brownfields program. The first phase of the
project, completed in 2012, included a (railhead and park. The first
phase also included the restoration of a stream running alongside the
greenway path. The next phase of the project will provide a northern
connection to downtown and extension of the Midtown Greenway to
the south. Future phases will include a southern connection with the
planned Hall County trail and an east-west connection to an historic
Gainesville neighborhood.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
September/October 2013
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The M/cffown Greenway park near the redeveloped Rails-to-Trails.
REGION 5
MICHIGAN - The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority utilized
funding from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
(DEQ) Response Program grant to repurpose an abandoned police
precinct. The collaborative effort resulted in a public art studio
that provides work spaces for emerging artists and art education
programs for the community. Formerly a gas station, the City of
Detroit acquired the property in 1949 and built a police precinct.
The precinct remained in operation until 2006, at which time the
property fell into disuse. Southwest Housing Solutions Corporation
bought the property from the city in 2009. Following removal of
an underground storage tank, petroleum-related substances were
found in the soil at concentrations that exceeded state-defined safe
minimums. To address the environmental risk, contaminated soils
were removed and appropriately disposed in a landfill. The property
was converted into a neighborhood arts center called 555 Center
for Public Arts (http://www.555arts.org/) which provides classrooms,
studio spaces, and performance venues for residents of the City of
Detroit. The building design includes sustainable features such as:
energy efficient windows with insulated glass, super insulated walls
and ceiling assemblies, energy efficient lighting control systems, low
volatile organic compound paints and products, high recycled content
carpet, and installation of energy star appliances. In addition, the
development also includes rain gardens, a green roof, and a grey
water irrigation system installed to capture and reuse rain water to
improve storm water discharges to the Detroit River.
The 555 Center for Public Arts neighborhood arts center.
REGION 6
ARKANSAS - The Former Martindale Clinic in Hope housed a
medical clinic and pharmacy from 1951 until 1978, when the owner/
operator abandoned the business. Most of the clinic and pharmacy
equipment and medical supplies, including chemicals, were left
behind. In 2010, the City of Hope entered the property into the
Arkansas Brownfields Program and the Arkansas Department of
Environmental Quality (ADEQ) issued an emergency order for
removal of hazardous wastes and hazardous substances. Following
the emergency order, ADEQ used Section 128(a) Response Program
funding to conduct assessments on the property. These assessments
determined the waste types of concern remaining onsite were
asbestos-containing material, regulated asbestos-containing material,
lead-based paint (LBP), and lead containing dust from deteriorated
LBP The City of Hope applied for and received a sub-grant award
from the Arkansas Brownfields Revolving Loan fund for removal and
disposal of asbestos and lead based paint. Following cleanup, the
City of Hope redeveloped the property into the Southwest Arkansas
Community Services Health Services Clinic which provides free
medical services to the citizens of Hope and the surrounding area.
REGION 7
MISSOURI - The former Chillicothe Correctional Facility for female
inmates in Chillicothe is being redeveloped for mixed use. The
Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Brownfields/Voluntary
Cleanup Program (BVCP) used Section 128(a) Response Program
funding to oversee environmental assessment activities at the
former facility. These assessments revealed the presence of lead-
based paint and asbestos-containing material (ACM) within some
of the twenty-six buildings remaining on the property. Clean-up
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
September/October 2013
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activities included asbestos abatement, lead-based paint removal
and hazardous materials removal. All ACM was properly removed,
packaged, labeled and loaded for transport off-site for proper
disposal. Lead-based paint was scraped and removed. An inventory
and profile was developed for all hazardous materials throughout the
facility, including but not limited to: paint cans, degreaser, cleaning
supplies, fluorescent lamps, ballasts, etc. Hazardous materials were
collected and recycled if possible, or properly disposed of at an
approved disposal facility. Once cleanup is complete, the property
will be converted into a mixture of residential, office and commercial
space and will include public athletic fields. As the city is in a period
of economic expansion, the additional housing is expected to be
quickly put to use.
REGION 8
NORTH DAKOTA- The U.S. Army's Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard
Complex (SRMSC) is a cluster of military facilities near Grand Forks
that supported the Army's Safeguard anti-ballistic missile program.
The Army closed the missile complex in 1975 and it is currently under
caretaker status of the U.S. General Services Administration. The
North Dakota Brownfields Program used Section 128(a) Response
Program funding to assist the Cavalier County Job Development
Association (JDA) in conducting a Phase I assessment of the
SRMSC, covering five non-contiguous land parcels totaling 601
acres. The results revealed the need for additional environmental
assessments prior to property transfer or redevelopment efforts. The
Cavalier County JDA is looking to acquire this property to have space
for and encourage economic development in the area.
REGION 9
TOHONO O'ODHAM NATION - The Tohono O'odham Nation
continues to use Section 128(a) Response Program funding to
conduct site-specific environmental investigations to determine
potential contamination, remediation or cleanup needs and to provide
closures for properties on the Nation. In 2013, the Nation conducted
electromagnetic and magnetic surveys (geophysical surveys) on
three properties: the Pan Tak Gravel pit in the Schuk Toak District;
the Choulic Gravel pit in the Baboquivari District; and a former landfill
on San Lucy Farms in San Lucy District. At the two gravel pits, field
readings revealed significant geophysical anomalies suggesting
buried waste objects of the size consistent with 55 gallon drums.
Careful site excavation with soil sampling is the recommended next
step. Results of findings were presented to the Pan Tak and Choulic
communities in September 2013. Rather than performing costly
waste removal at the San Lucy Farms former landfill, the geophysical
survey provides boundaries for a potential fence to create an
avoidance buffer zone around the buried landfill debris. A top priority
for the Tohono O'odham Nation Brownfields Program is to provide
technical support for projects, which will lead to cleaner communities
and sustainable development.
Tohono O'odham Nation staff conducting a geophysical survey on a brownfields.
REGION 10
OREGON - In Beaverton, a former gas station has taken a step
toward new life as a park. Due to its location adjacent to Beaverton's
Eichler Park, the Beaverton Parks and Recreational District targeted
the empty lot for acquisition years ago. But, because of contaminants
on property, acquiring the land was difficult. However, after 20 years
of sitting empty during soil and groundwater testing and cleanup,
the property has received a Conditional No Further Action letter
from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEO).
Oregon DEO used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to
oversee investigation and cleanup of the property. Cleanup included
the removal of an underground storage tank, and the removal of
contaminated soil and groundwater. The city is now moving forward
with design and redevelopment plans for the expansion of Eichler
Park onto the cleaned-up site.
United States
Environmental Protection
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding
September/October 2013 EPA-560-F-14-006
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