State and Tribal Response
Program Highlights
EPA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities
REGION I
MASSACHUSETTS - The Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection (MassDEP) constantly uses Section
128(a) Response Program funding to enhance and improve its
waste site cleanup program. Some efforts include development of
the Institutional Control (1C) Tracking System—a dual effort with
EPA Headquarters and MassDEP—to develop a public electronic
system. MassDEP also completed an evaluation of the previous
standards and regulations regarding petroleum in GW-1 (drinking
water areas) that resulted in a revision of the standards, subsequent
wide distribution of those standards, and training to understand and
identify the changes in the standards. The last process improvement
involved the Indoor Air Workgroup, which undertook a review of
recent information on background indoor air concentrations and
updated the numerical standards for indoor air. The workgroup
established background indoor air levels and plans to publish
an up-to-date, comprehensive guidance that consolidates all
previous guidance on the topic. Funding was also used to conduct
assessment and cleanup work on behalf of municipalities, nonprofits
and regional planning agencies across the Commonwealth. One
example of a project for which MassDEP used this funding is located
within the Fairmont Indigo Corridor in Boston; the project was chosen
by EPA, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),
and the Department of Transportation (DOT) as part of their joint
Sustainable Communities Initiative. MassDEP is using funding to
assess a municipally owned former auto body shop to determine the
nature and extent of contamination at the site.
REGION 2
ST. REGIS MOHAWK TRIBE - The Regis Mohawk Tribal Response
Program is using Section 128(a) Response Program funding to
identify strategies for management of several different projects.
Project staff members had the opportunity to network with other
brownfields managers in the state and also on an inter-tribal
level. Staff regularly attend Brownfields Roundtable meetings in
Albany, New York to learn about initiatives by other agencies and
obtain updates from EPA. Staff also attended the Institute for
Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Tribal Lands Forum
in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where they learned about other tribal
brownfields activities and gained insights into managing programs
and addressing issues relevant to their situation and culture. The
forum provided an excellent opportunity for staff to network and share
information formally in presentations and informally through one-on-
one interaction. The establishment of a community advisory group
called the "Akwesasne Brownfields Committee" (ABC) has been
critical in prioritizing the tribe's list of potential brownfield sites. This
committee—as well as successful outreach activities such as a kiosk,
staff presence at public events, and the distribution of brochures-
has ensured that the community is informed and aware of the tribe's
Brownfields Program and related activities.
REGION 3
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA- The Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB)
serves as the central supplier for more than 700 food pantries
and nonprofits; it assists more than 680,000 people in the D.C.
area and distributes up to 33 million pounds of food per year. In
order to address a growing hunger crisis, CAFB was in need of a
larger facility. A site was found at 4900 Puerto Rico Avenue, NE.
An environmental assessment revealed that the property was
contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and metals in soil
and ground water. The District Department of the Environment
(DDOE) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide
oversight of the assessment and cleanup process. The cleanup
included the demolition of an existing warehouse and contaminated
soil excavation. A new 123,000-square foot facility was constructed
that doubled the food bank's current storage space and increased
its freezer and refrigerator capacity. CAFB opened its new facility in
July 2012.
The new CAFB facility after redevelopment.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
January/February 2013
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REGION 4
NORTH CAROLINA-The North Carolina Brownfields Program—a
Section 128(a) grantee—signed a brownfields agreement, setting
the stage for the redevelopment of the former Ecusta Paper Mill
near Brevard. The agreement marked a milestone for the North
Carolina Brownfields Program as the 200th brownfields agreement
since program inception. The mill began operation in 1939 and was
at one time one of the largest paper mills in the southeast. The
abandonment of the mill in 2003 resulted in shutdowns of various
environmental systems and threatened uncontrolled releases into
the Davidson River. Davidson River Village signed an administrative
order on consent to conduct assessment and cleanup activities; it
has been active in the demolition and cleanup of the mill for three
years. Cleanup of several portions of the property are complete or
nearing completion, and ongoing monitoring will continue through
the redevelopment of the property. The brownfields agreement will
provide institutional control provisions that will protect public health
and the environment on the first tract slated for redevelopment.
It is the first in a series of seven planned agreements for various
tracts on the 540-acre property. The property will be redeveloped
into Davidson River Village, a large $800 million mixed use
redevelopment expected to generate nearly 2,000 jobs, and include
residential, retail, hospitality, and open space uses with strong
acknowledgement of the mill history for the local community.
REGION
ST. CROIX CHIPPEWA INDIANS OF WISCONSIN - The St. Croix
Chippewa Indians used Section 128(a) Tribal Response Program
funding to develop the St. Croix Tribal Geographic Information
online database, which contains geographic and assessment record
information for brownfields on their land. The tribe also used funding
to complete a property inventory and Public Record, and developed
a Brownfields Rehabilitation ordinance and Hazardous Material
Release Contingency Planning ordinance. Training and public
participation through the Brownfields Program has allowed the tribe
to better identify and respond to contaminated and suspect sites. The
St. Croix Tribe plans to focus on increasing community awareness,
continuing the development of cleanup standards, and creating a
controlled space for hazardous materials to be safely stored before
being properly disposed.
REGION 6
TEXAS - Belo Garden construction began in March 2011 and the
park opened to the public in May 2012. Belo Garden is approximately
1.46 acres and was formerly used as a parking lot. Over the past
100 years, the property was used for an array of purposes, including
but not limited to, three petroleum-oil related facilities, two hat
manufacturers, a car repair facility, and a paint shop. The City of
Dallas was awarded two grants to clean up the property, one from
the North Central Texas Council of Governments and one from EPA.
The Belo Garden Park in Dallas.
The property entered into the state's Voluntary Cleanup Program to
ensure that the park met state environmental standards. The Texas
Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to provide oversight for the remediation
of affected soil including the excavation and disposal of surface and
sub-surface soils exceeding the critical protective concentration
levels to an approved landfill disposal facility. Over 21,000 cubic
feet of affected soil was characterized, stabilized and removed
from the property. Ground water was not impacted. The new Belo
Park features perennial gardens, shaded groves, plaza spaces, an
interactive fountain, a 10-foot high hill (which provides topographical
relief and views over the central fountain plaza), a shaded garden
grove, and more. In addition to funding from City of Dallas bonds,
federal grants and other private sources, Belo Corp. committed $6.5
million toward the $14.5 million construction of the park.
REGION 7
KANSAS - The Kansas Department of Health and the Environment
(KDHE) is using its Brownfields Program funding to assist the City of
Wichita in expanding its citywide network of bicycling/walking trails.
One segment of trail, the Redbud Trail, was recently completed along
2.5 miles of rail-banked railway corridor. KDHE used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to provide oversight for the Phase I and
Phase II assessments that identified heavy metals and polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) above action levels in isolated spots
along the trail. The project was then enrolled in KDHE's Voluntary
Cleanup and Property Redevelopment Program and the cleanup plan
included capping the contaminated soil under the concrete path and
clean fill, and establishing an Environmental Use Control to prevent
disturbance. The Redbud Trail was opened to the public in May
2011; future plans call to extend the trail another 8.5 miles. The city is
funding the project with KDHE's Brownfields Cleanup and Revolving
Loan Fund sub-grant and a $2.3 million federal transportation
enhancement grant.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
January/February 2013
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REGION
UTAH - The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) used
Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide oversight of the
cleanup of the former Simpson Steel property and issue a certificate
of completion (COC) under the Utah voluntary cleanup program.
A transit oriented development became the driving force for the
transformation of this underutilized, industrial property since a light
rail station is adjacent to the property. Today, the property is known
as the Lions Gate development. The first phase was completed in
spring 2012 with the completion of 400 apartment units. The next
phase of the development will include low-income housing units as
well as retail, restaurant and office space - all of which will be less
than a five minute walk to a light rail station.
The former Simpson Steel property after redevelopment.
REGION 9
ARIZONA- The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
(ADEQ) Brownfields Program provided assistance through Section
128(a) Response Program funding to the Town of Parker to complete
asbestos abatement in two of the Town's buildings. Through the
use of Community Develop Block Grant (GDBG) funding the Town
of Parker was in the process of bringing the Town's civic buildings
into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and
remove barriers for handicapped individuals visiting the Town's
administrative offices, Police Station and Library. Through required
asbestos testing it was discovered that the Town Hall/Police Station
and Library buildings contained asbestos that would need to be
removed before any construction could take place. Because CDBG
funding could not be used to remove the asbestos the project was at
a standstill and the Town of Parker was concerned it would be unable
to complete it. Using the Section 128(a) Response Program, ADEQ
provided the necessary funding to complete the asbestos abatement
in both buildings, which allowed the project to move forward. Today
the Town's civic buildings have been remodeled to comply with the
ADA and are accessible to all the Town's citizens.
PARKER
PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Town of Parker Public Library after renovations.
REGION 10
CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF COLVILLE RESERVATION (CTCR)
- The Office of Environmental Trust is a subdivision of the CTCR's
Natural Resources Department that exercises authority promulgated
under Tribal Code to investigate and clean up hazardous substances
released to land, water and air. The tribes used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding, Section 104(k) Cleanup grants, Area-
Wide Planning grants, and other funding sources to expand and
enhance their brownfields program as new properties enter the Public
Record and existing properties become the focus of progressive
response actions and remediation. In addition to environmental
responsibilities pertaining to the Colville Indian Reservation as well
as ceded and allotted lands, a significant strength of the Natural
Resources Department staff is its capacity in cross-disciplinary
regional and international matters of substantive interest to CTCR.
Examples include technical review and consultation concerning the
CTCR/Upper Columbia River site, planning and implementation of
improvements to the tribes' reservation-wide solid waste system,
participation on CTCR and county solid waste advisory committees,
assessments of brownfields on the reservation acquired through
CTCR's proactive land reacquisition program, and advisory
committee involvement in developing Washington State freshwater
sediment cleanup regulations.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding
January/February 2013 EPA-560-F-13-007
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