State and Tribal Response
Program Highlights
IPA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities
REGION I
VERMONT - The redevelopment of a former brownfield has
revitalized the downtown of the City of Barre. A 0.76 acre property
in the heart of Barre has uses dating back to the late 1800s—
including furniture sales, a park, a drug store, an auto garage, a
gravel parking lot, and two apartment buildings. In 2012, the City of
Barre used a $1.7 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) Neighborhood Stabilization Program Grant to
acquire the property and demolish the onsite buildings, which had
become idle and fallen into disrepair in the mid 2000's. Subsequent
environmental investigations revealed the site's past activities had
contaminated areas of its soil with chlorinated solvents, polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), arsenic, lead, and naphthalene.
Once environmental assessments were complete, the Vermont
Department of Environmental Control used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to excavate 661 tons of contaminated
soil, install a soil vapor mitigation system, and cap remaining areas
of contamination. An environmental easement was also placed on
the property in order to ensure the SSD and cap are maintained
over time. Since then, a 4story, 78,000 square foot building was
constructed on the property, and officially opened for business in
March 2014. The new Barre City Place serves as a productive part
of Barre's downtown, and includes office space for Vermont Agency
of Education employees as well as private businesses.
REGION 2
NEW YORK - Once an elevated freight railway track, New York
City's High Line Park is now a 1.45-mile oasis for pedestrians.
In 1980, the last freight train ran along the elevated railway line
in the Lower West Side of Manhattan; reportedly, it pulled three
boxcars of frozen turkeys. In 2009, the New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding toward assessment and cleanup of the
site. Assessments revealed that soils were contaminated with toxic
metals and petroleum products. Following cleanup, repurposing
of the railway into an urban park began in 2006. The first section
of the park opened in 2009 and the second in 2011. The third and
final area, a short section above Tenth Avenue and 30th Street,
officially opened to the public in the summer of 2015. The project
has spurred real estate development in neighborhoods all along the
former line and the park attracts nearly 5 million visitors annually.
New York City's High Line Park.
REGION 3
PENNSYLVANIA- Like many urban communities, the City of
Lancaster's industrial presence has dwindled in recent decades,
impacting residents within the city as well as outlying communities.
A collaborative redevelopment strategy driven by representatives
from area businesses, government, residents and a local college
focused efforts in part of the city known as the Gateways Area,
comprised mostly of industrial and railroad properties. The first
phase of the Lancaster Northwest Gateway project involved the
demolition of more than 200 buildings covering 50 acres of what
was once the Armstrong World Industries' tile operation. The
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) used
Section 128(a) funding toward assessment and cleanup, after which
the area was transformed through the combined efforts of Franklin
& Marshall College (F&M), Lancaster General Hospital, and Norfolk
Southern Railroad. Completed in 2015, the Northwest Gateway
project now includes the renovated Lancaster Amtrak Station,
Lancaster General Hospital's nursing school and administration
offices, and F&M's 6,000-seat Clipper Magazine Football Stadium.
This revitalization project has brought jobs, tax revenue, housing
and greenspace back to the Lancaster community.
CERCLA Section I28(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding
October/November/December 2015
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REGION 4
REGION 6
SOUTH CAROLINA- The former 10-acre Bush Recycling
property is the primary focus of the City of Florence's brownfields
redevelopment plan. A scrap yard and metal recycling facility
operated on the property for over 50 years. Based on input from
local community groups, the city selected a need for affordable
and accessible health care services. In 2014, the South Carolina
Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) used
Section 128(a) Response Program funding to assist in the city's
environmental assessment and cleanup activities. In 2015, following
contaminated soil excavation and the demolition of three buildings,
the property became the new home for HopeHealth, which offers
affordable, accessible health care for the surrounding region.
HopeHealth's services include primary and preventive care, chronic
disease management, pediatrics, internal medicine, infectious
diseases, behavioral health, and medical massage therapy.
REGION 5
INDIANA- The 3.6-acre former Kenly Plastics property in the
City of Clinton operated as Sands Level and Tool from the
1940s until sometime in the 1950s. From the 1960s until the late
1980s the property operated as Kenly Plastics, an injected-mold
plastics facility. In 2013, the Indiana Department of Environmental
Management used Section 128(a) Response Program funding
toward assessment activities at the property. Those assessments
indicated that the property's conditions did not warrant a remedial
action and the property was ready for reuse. In late 2013, the
property's building was demolished and construction began on the
Meadow Park apartments, which now include a clubhouse, two
garages, four two-story apartment buildings, and another one-story
apartment building. The apartments were almost fully occupied as
of spring 2015.
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TEXAS - The former Powell Cotton Seed Mill property is being
transformed into the Lost Pines Art Complex. The property had
been used by two oil mill companies, as the site of a storage and
processing facility for cotton seed and other grains. More recently
it was used as an automotive repair facility and storage space. The
Bastrop Fine Arts Guild—an association of artists that aids and
promotes artists in the community and encourages appreciation of
fine art—needed assistance with its plans to turn the former mill
property into the Lost Pines Art Complex. EPA Region 6 provided
Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) funding to conduct
an environmental assessment, and the Texas Committee on
Environmental Quality used Section 128(a) Response Program
funding to clean up contaminated soil. The Guild has since begun
redevelopment of the property, which will include 4,000 square feet
of gallery space, artist studios, classrooms, and specialty shops.
The property, expected to be completed in early 2016, will also
feature an outdoor sculpture garden, xeriscape landscaping with a
rainwater collection system, an outdoor water feature, and a patio.
REGION 7
KANSAS - In June 2009, the St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in
Larned County announced it would be closing within 3 months
due to financial reasons. The news devastated the community
it served and the county worked to secure the hospital's critical
access designation to keep it open. In February 2010, the county
took ownership of the property and conducted due diligence as
a part of the transfer. The Kansas Department of Health and the
Environment used Section 128(a) Response Program funding
toward assessment and cleanup activities. Asbestos-containing
material was discovered in the hospital building (which was
constructed in the 1940s) and was abated prior to demolition.
Groundbreaking began in September 2011 for the newly named
Pawnee Valley Community Hospital, and the project was completed
in April 2013. The property now includes a 25-bed critical access
hospital, Imaging Center, Respiratory Department, Cardiac Rehab
Services, Sleep Disorder Center, Sport and Spine Physical
Therapy, and more. A 3,000 square-foot safety shelter was installed
for patient and worker protection during storms. In 2014, the
hospital project was selected as a finalist in the Associated General
Contractors of America Building Excellence Awards. The project
continues to grow; in August 2015, the hospital announced that a
specialized Wound Care Clinic would be added.
Meadow Park Apartment building after construction.
CERCLA Section I28(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding
October/November/December 2015
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Newly opened Pawnee Valley Community Hospital.
REGION 8
YANKTON SIOUX TRIBE - October 1,2015 marked the three-year
anniversary of the Yankton Sioux Tribe Environmental Department's
Tribal Response Program (TRP) as well as the completion of its first
cleanup using Section 128(a) Response Program funding. The Yankton
Sioux brownfields inventory includes five properties, four of which
are located on the Marty Indian School campus, including the former
Guest House. Founded in 1924 and formerly known as the St. Paul's
Indian Mission School, Marty Indian School is a K-12 boarding school
that currently has about 200 students, with 42 students residing in
campus dormitories. The Tribe chose the former Guest House as its
first cleanup project to generate momentum for other, more challenging
properties on the Marty Indian School Campus. Once used to house
Marty Indian School Staff, the Guest House has been vacant since
2010. The cleanup addressed asbestos containing material, lead based
paint, mercury switches, PCB lights, and mold and lead in the soil.
The Yankton Sioux TRP demonstrated hard work and perseverance in
coordinating with the school, the neighborhood, the cleanup contractor,
the tribal historic preservation office, and their finance office. With its first
cleanup now complete, the Tribe is prepared for its next cleanup of a
nearby property on the Marty Indian School Campus.
REGION 9
RIANAIS
COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
(CNMI) - Managaha Island is a significant cultural and historical
location that covers 13.2 acres off the western coast of the Island
of Saipan. The entire island is listed on the United States National
Register of Historic Places and is a designated U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) conservation and nesting habitat for threatened
Green Sea turtles and migratory Shearwater birds. In 2010, the
CNMI Bureau of Environmental & Coastal Quality conducted a
Phase II Environmental Site Assessment and discovered pesticide
contamination in specific locations on Managaha Island. The
contamination was linked to mounds of buried drums found mostly on
the island's southeast side. In 2013, using Section 128(a) Response
Program funding, CMNI removed the pesticide-contaminated soil,
buried drums, and discarded marine batteries from two small isolated
areas. Forty-two cubic yards of pesticide-contaminated soil, 23
rusted drums, and 17 discarded marine batteries were subsequently
excavated and removed from the island. Restoration of the affected
area was completed in accordance with the USFWS permit for a
Green Sea Turtle nesting area. The CNMI depends on tourism,
and restoration of these areas ensures that Managaha Island will
continue to be a popular tourist destination and play a vital role in the
economy, as well as being an important place in CNMI history.
CNMI's Managaha Island.
REGION 10
NATIVE VILLAGE OF EYAK - The Native Village of Eyak (NVE),
located in Cordova, Alaska on Prince William Sound, was devastated
by the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS). Community members
have seen first-hand the effect oil can have on their natural resources.
There are places in Cordova where a sheen of oil is built up in mud
puddles, storm drains, streams, and lakes that ultimately end up in the
harbor and Prince William Sound. In 2012 and 2014, NVE partnered
with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC),
EPA Emergency Response (ER), and Institute for Tribal Environmental
Professionals (ITEP) to bring 24-hr HAZWOPER Oil Spill Response
Training to Cordova. NVE keeps a roster of all volunteers ready to
assist in the case of a spill response emergency. NVE partnered
with a local fuel distributor, ADEC, and the Copper River Watershed
Project (CRWP), and used Section 128(a) Response Program funding
to promote home heating tank awareness in the community. They
created Home Heating Tank Checklist inserts that were mailed with
monthly bills; and provided community outreach with information such
as how and where to report an oil spill, how to check your tank and
what to look for, heating tank and tank stand safety, and the threats
that oil spills can cause to the environment and your property. Heating
oil tank safety and spill prevention continues to be an important
component of NVE's tribal response program.
United States
Environmental Protection
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding October/November/December 2015 EPA-560-F-15-201
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