State and Tribal Response
Program Highlights
IPA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities
REGION I
MAINE - The small town of South Berwick, population 7,220,
transformed a former church into a new public library. This central
location, which is adjacent to an elementary school and in the heart
of the town's downtown district, was a perfect fit. Between 1887 and
2008, a Roman Catholic Church served the town in this location. In
2008, the church moved to a new location and left the site vacant.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) used
Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide assessment
and cleanup oversight at the property. Site investigation found that
the church was originally constructed with asbestos-containing
siding. During the time of vacancy, the heating, ventilation, and
air conditioning system (HVAC) was turned off, which resulted in
significant mold growth. Additionally, all painted interior and exterior
surfaces contained lead paint. All asbestos-containing waste, lead-
containing paint, universal waste, and mold-impacted materials were
removed and disposed of properly. The project itself generated an
unprecedented amount of community support and in-kind donations
for the Town. For example, the entry doors were crafted by a local
craftsman and all of the landscaping was donated and installed by
a local landscaper. Along with renovating the Church's Great Hall,
an addition was built and opened to the public in 2012. The library is
regularly frequented by townsfolk and engages in outreach with the
school next door.
REGION 2
NEW JERSEY - In Camden, an unsightly parking lot was
transformed into the Waterfront Technology Center at Camden
(WTCC), a sustainable building housing technology and business
incubators. A preliminary site-assessment in 2003 revealed that the
property was contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs), arsenic, lead, copper, and zinc in concentrations exceeding
state soil standards. The contaminants were associated with historic
fill and previous on-site operations. A 1,000-gallon underground
storage tank, used for heating oil, was also discovered. The New
Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) used
Section 128 (a) Response Program funding to provide oversight
of the remediation work, which included the removal of the tank
and 267 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil, as well as a cap of
concrete, stone, and clean topsoil to prevent exposure to or migration
of any contaminants. The New Jersey Economic Development
Authority (N JEDA) financed the remediation and construction of the
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified
Gold building which cost over $10 million. The space is now home
to multiple corporations as well as extensions of Rutgers and Drexel
Universities and Cooper University Hospital - all working toward the
advancement and integration of technology science.
REGION 3
PENNSYLVANIA-A brownfield property in the City of Lancaster is
being redeveloped into a mixed-use development. The Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) provided
assistance to the Lancaster County Commissioners and Spanish
American Civic Association to help remediate and redevelop this
6-acre property into a community asset. The property was previously
used as an auto salvage yard from the 1940s until the 1980s. Prior to
that, the property had a sawmill which dated back to the 1860s. The
property was successfully remediated under Pennsylvania's Land
Recycling Program (Act 2) using Section 128(a) Response Program
funding. The property will eventually include an urban retail center
that will create jobs in addition to 47 affordable housing units. Several
single family homes have already been constructed on the property.
Residual contaminants in the soil have been capped reducing
surface water infiltration, which provides a water quality benefit to the
nearby Conestoga River.
New affordable housing units in Lancaster County.
KENTUCKY-The Kentucky Section 128(a) Response Program
funded Brownfields Redevelopment Program, the Center for Creative
Land Recycling, and three Area Development Districts joined forces
to provide a series of "Meet the Funders" workshops to southeastern
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
November/December 2014
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Kentucky stakeholders in 2014. During these half-day workshops,
attendees heard representatives from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) EPA, Kentucky Department for
Environmental Protection, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban
Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Rural
Development, Appalachian Regional Commission, and Kentucky
Highlands Investment Corporation talk about the resources each
of their agencies offer to help brownfield redevelopment projects
succeed. The 76 attendees learned about the valuable resources
each of these state and federal partners provide, while many of these
presenters were able to meet for the first time and exchange ideas.
The workshops helped establish collaborative relationships among
the communities and agencies.
REGION 5
MINNESOTA- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
began working with the City of Hutchinson in 2011 on a community
project to redevelop the former Hutchinson Depot railway station and
surrounding area into a market area and public space for events. The
former 127-year-old Dakota Rail depot had fallen into disrepair and
needed to be moved to a different location on the property to free up
space for a gathering area, parking and access road. Prior to moving
the depot, the MPCA used Section 128(a) Response Program
funding to conduct an environmental soil cleanup at the property.
Over 14,000 cubic yards of arsenic and petroleum contaminated soil
was excavated and removed from the property to an appropriate
disposal facility. The depot building was moved to the new location.
The building was renovated and an associated pavilion and plaza
added to the property. The structures gave the Hutchinson Downtown
Association's Farmers Market a long-awaited permanent home. A
parking lot and landscaping were included as well as an access road
to the parking area. The Depot Marketplace opened in the spring of
2014. Attendance at the new pavilion this year was reported to be
about double farmer's market attendance in past years.
REGION 6
CHEROKEE NATION - The Markoma property was recently
transformed into a 25,000 square foot facility called the Jack Brown
Adolescent Treatment Center. Formerly a dairy farm, the new Jack
Brown Center campus features a recreation center and weight
room, male and female dorms with lounge areas, a cafeteria, a
drum circle and large group therapy rooms. The tribe used Section
128(a) Response Program funding to oversee the cleanup of the
property. The center's mission is to serve Native American youth with
substance abuse problems by providing opportunities for education,
mental, spiritual, emotional and physical growth through treatment.
The Jack Brown Center opened in November of 2014 and the
project won the Honor Award in the small commercial category of the
Eastern Oklahoma Institute of Architects Design Excellence Award.
The silo and barn, which were part of the original property, were left
standing. An equine therapy program, which will occupy the barn,
and a rope course are expected to be added in the future.
The new Jack Brown Adolescent Treatment Center.
REGION 7
NEBRASKA- In an area undergoing redevelopment to provide
crucial community services, Section 128(a) Response Program
funding from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
(DEO) was used to conduct a Phase II environmental site
assessment on the former AAA Welding facility. This assessment
came after a Phase I assessment identified the prior use of the
property and surrounding area as recognized environmental
conditions. The Phase II assessment enabled the city to move
forward with effective redevelopment of the property. The original
facility has been demolished and the property is now ready to
construct an emergency and transitional housing facility to address
critical overcrowding in a local women's and families' shelter.
Site map for the former AAA Welding property.
Map courtesy Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Fundin
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REGION 8
REGION 10
NORTHERN CHEYENNE - The Northern Cheyenne Tribe (NCT),
located in southeast Montana, prioritized burned and/or abandoned
structures in Lame Deer, its largest town, for cleanup through use of
its Section 128(a) Response Program funding. Through the years,
the tribe has compiled and maintained an inventory of properties
of potential brownfields properties. In July, 2014, the Tribe's
Brownfields Coordinator facilitated the collection of samples at 15
brownfields properties by EPA's Emergency Response personnel.
They found eight properties contaminated with asbestos. Officials
removed approximately 510 tons of asbestos-containing waste
material from the reservation. The eight properties are now available
for unrestricted redevelopment. One of the properties is considered
prime real estate because of its location at the reservation's busiest
intersection - Highway 212, the main east/west highway through
the reservation and Cheyenne Avenue, Lame Deer's main street.
Redevelopment plans for this highly accessible property is a tribally-
owned business mini-mall for small business owners to establish
shops and spur local economic development. The redevelopment
is being partially funded by USDA through the Northern Cheyenne
Housing Authority. The other seven properties cleaned up
through this joint NCT/EPA partnership are being considered for
redevelopment as affordable housing.
REGION 9
SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA INDIAN COMMUNITY
(SRPMIC) - The SRPMIC Community Development Department's
Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Division (EPNR)
used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to assess and
clean up the former Scottsdale Six Drive-in Theater. The SRPMIC
EPNR completed a Phase I Assessment, asbestos inspection, and
a lead paint survey at the abandoned property. The assessment
activities identified asbestos containing material and lead paint
in the building on the property. The tribe conducted abatement
activities and proper disposal of building materials during the
cleanup of the property. Multiple plans for future redevelopment
have been submitted to SRPMIC because of its prime location
to Tempe Marketplace and the Scottsdale corridor. SRPMIC will
review the redevelopment options and consult with the community
before construction begins in 2015.
ALASKA NATIVE TRIBAL HEALTH CONSORTIUM TRIBAL
(ANTHC) - The ANTHC Tribal Response Program used Section
128(a) Response Program funding to successfully incorporate a
Brownfields Track into the well-attended conference, Alaska Tribal
Conference on Environmental Management (ATCEM). Founded
in 1994, ATCEM aims to bring together tribes, non-profits, states,
and federal organizations for a week of environmentally specific
sessions, presentations, and trainings that lead to collaborative
discussions on finding and implementing solutions that address
the unique environmental concerns that face Alaskan communities.
Over 470 registered participants and 180 Alaska Native/American
Indian-recognized tribes attend the 20th Annual ATCEM held
in October 2014. The ANTHC Tribal Response Program (TRP)
partnered with EPA Region 10, the United States Coast Guard, and
the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to present
within the ATCEM Brownfields Track. The addition of these state
and federal agencies and success stories from other tribal response
programs across Alaska provided well-rounded and highly attended
presentations. Comments from attendees of the Brownfields Track
reported outstanding overall experience with additional benefits to
TRP coordinators across all levels of experience.
Participants attending the Brownfields Track presentation at the 20th Annual ATCEM.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding November/December 2014 EPA-560-F-15-001
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