State and Tribal Response Program SEPA
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EPA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
REGION I
MASSACHUSETTS - The Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is using Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to develop volatile petroleum
hydrocarbons (VPH) detection method by gas chromatography
and mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. MassDEP is also
developing guidance on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
(PFAS) assessment and cleanup. The Waste Site Cleanup Advisory
Committee provides input to MassDEP on waste site cleanup
regulations, policies and programs. The Committee's well-attended
meetings serve as forums that keep interested organizations and
individuals up-to-date on related MassDEP activities. On January
26, 2017, the Committee discussed MassDEP's new draft VPH
detection method guidance and presented a draft fact sheet on
sampling and analysis of PFAS. Feedback from the committee
will be incorporated into updated drafts. After completion, the
guidance documents will be used by MassDEP staff to assist with
the assessment and cleanup of VPH and and emerging PFAS
contamination concerns.
REGION 2
ST. REGIS MOHAWK TRIBE - The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe
(SRMT) has continued to develop its Section 128(a) Brownfieldl^
response program by creating an inventory database, working on
an oversight and enforcement program, and conducting public
outreach activities. A newly constructed database, which includes
a Geographic Information System (GIS), records property data for
over 120 properties. The database is used in outreach through
an interactive, portable, digital display that is set up at community
events where community members are able to access and view
brownfield properties. The public was asked to identify important
community resources such as cultural sites, medicine plant sites,
and historic gathering places. The information was developed into
GIS layers and analyzed with GIS tools to prioritize properties.
During a presentation at the Tribal Lands and Environmental
Forum, SRMT shared its public participation approach that focused
on outreach to various groups, such as seniors and children. SRMT
has created a strong foundation to help meet future goals on the
SRMT reservation centered on cultural development, increased
tourism, community beautification, and economic growth.
REGION 3
WEST VIRGINIA- The Spelter Smelter site, located approximately
seven miles north of Clarksburg along the West Fork River, is
comprised of three separate parcels totaling 114.3 acres. The site
opened in 1910 and operated as the largest zinc smelter plant
in the United States. The property changed ownership several
times until operations ceased in September 2001. The West
Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) used
Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide oversight
at the property, including the demolition and removal of former
manufacturing structures. Residue from zinc production and
impacted material was consolidated to an area of approximately
42.6 acres and covered with an engineered cap. The extraction of
groundwater for any use other than groundwater monitoring and
remediation will be restricted. In 2017, the property received a
Certificate of Completion, and the West Virginia DEP will continue
to inspect the site according to their Land Use Covenant. The
improvement of water quality in the nearby West Fork River has
implications for fishing and other recreational uses. In 2017, a trail
will be developed on the site to offer biking/hiking recreational
opportunities in the area. The site offers potential for future
commercial or industrial use, which may improve employment and
economic opportunities for the local community.
REGION 5
WISCONSIN - On November 2, 2016, the Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources (DNR) used Section 128(a) Response
Program funding to host Brownfields 101: Redevelopment
Resources for Local Governments in Stevens Point. This one-day
conference was attended by nearly 150 public-sector employees
and covered a range of land recycling issues. Throughout the day,
participants heard from developers, researchers, local government
colleagues and others about tools and strategies to capitalize
on underused or abandoned properties. Program staff and guest
speakers presented on several topics relevant to local governments
during the day-long conference, including:
•	The positive economic impacts of brownfields investments
revealed in a recent study commissioned by the Wisconsin
Brownfields Study Group;
•	The fundamentals of Wisconsin's cleanup law;
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding
January/February/March 2017

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•	The various tools and services the Wisconsin DNR has
available to assist communities with turning around brownfields;
•	Federal resources for brownfields redevelopment;
•	The use of green infrastructure for stormwater management at
brownfields; and
•	Success stories from four communities and three private
developers that the DNR has helped—or is helping—turn
around troubled properties.
Participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive and the DNR
is already planning another conference specifically for local
government leaders in 2018.
Wisconsin's DNR Brownfields 101 Conference.
REGION 7
NEBRASKA - The former 17,531 square-foot Progress Elementary
School, located in Ogallala, was constructed in 1950 and served
the community for over 60 years. By 2015, most of the building
stood vacant. The Ogallala Public School District and the city
worked together to develop plans to construct a new public
library at the school's location. The Nebraska Department of
Environmental Quality (NDEQ) used Section 128(a) Response
Program funding to complete a Phase I Environmental Site
Assessment and an Asbestos Containing Materials Survey in
association with the transfer of ownership to the city and proposed
demolition of the school. The survey positively identified asbestos
containing materials throughout the structure and NDEQ provided
additional funding for its removal and disposal so the building could
be safely razed. Today, demolition of the building is complete, the
property is ready for redevelopment, and plans for the library are
moving forward.
REGION 6
Ogallala Public Library
Ogallala. NE
Site pian for the Ogaiiaia Public Library.
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UTAH - The historic Ogden Stockyards were established in 1905,
and over the course of time, millions of head of livestock passed
through the facility. It was eventually closed in 1971 and the property
was used for various other purposes. Storage of drums, containers,
engines, vehicles, scrap piles, and railroad ties created a significant
amount of environmental uncertainty that became an impediment
to redevelopment efforts. In 2013, Ogden City used funding from
an EPA Brownfields Community-Wide Assessment grant to perform
a Phase II assessment at the property. The city then used a Utah
Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) Enforceable Written
Assurance (EWA) to facilitate cleanup and redevelopment. The city
applied to the Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) in July 2014, and
TRIBAL RESPONSE GRANTEES - The EPA Region 6 Tribal
Response Programs held its first Section 128(a) meeting with EPA
in November 2016. Four of the existing Tribal Response Program
grantees—Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Eight Northern Indian Pueblo
Council, Cherokee Nation/Inter-Tribal Environmental Council
(ITEC), and Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma—were represented and
two new Section 128(a) recipients also attended. EPA's Targeted
Assistance for Brownfields partner, Kansas State University,
also participated in the meeting. The focus of the meeting was
to develop and update tribal inventories using the Brownfields
Inventory Tool. Due to the meeting's success, EPA Region 6
anticipates holding Tribal Response Program meetings bi-annually.
Attendees at the Region 6 Tribal Response Program Workshop.
CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding
January/February/March 2017

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UDEQ used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide
oversight. A "No Further Action" letter for a portion of the property
was issued in late 2015, followed by the construction of a new
commercial facility. Field work for the remainder of the property is
concluding and a site-wide Certificate of Completion is anticipated
in 2017 upon completion of final reporting. Using various tools from
the EPA and the UDEQ, Ogden City is on the verge of transforming
this once blighted 50-acre site into the Ogden Business Exchange
to attract offices, and technology and advanced manufacturing
businesses.
REGION 9
TOHONO O'ODHAM NATION - In Southern Arizona, the Tohono
O'odham nation sits on the second largest Native American
land holding in the United States—nearly 2.8 million acres. The
Nation works diligently to address and prevent environmental
contamination throughout its 11 districts, both via outreach,
enforcement, and site-specific work. Using 128(a) Response
Program funding, the tribe hired a consultant to assess an
abandoned beauty shop in the Nation's largest community of
Sells, Arizona. The assessment activities included testing for
potential environmental concerns associated with its past use and
construction materials. In late 2016, asbestos containing materials
were identified and successfully remediated using Section 128(a)
funding. The property, which is a popular community gathering
spot for food trucks, will be redeveloped into a traditionally covered
outdoors eating area with seating.
REGION 10
ALASKA - The former one-acre Headstart building is located in
the Alaska Native Village of Ruby, on the Yukon River. Although
vacant since 2013, the property was still a favorite community
gathering place, used for ceremonies, an Iditarod checkpoint, and a
playfield. Through these uses, the community noticed a diesel smell
in the crawlspace of the building and became concerned about
potential contamination levels at the property. In 2016, the Alaska
Department of Environmental Control (DEC) used Section 128(a)
Response Program funding to conduct assessment and cleanup
activities. Tests revealed that the building required a vapor barrier,
and the soil was contaminated with petroleum in two locations.
The most cost-effective cleanup treatment was determined to be
rhizoremediation—remediation through the interaction of soil and
microbes and plants. This remedy included moving over 430 cubic
yards of contaminated soil to a remote location, densely planting it
with native plants, and monitoring progress while the plants' roots
accomplished the cleanup. After cleanup, the much-used property
is again safe and available to the community.

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Rhizoremediation activities at the former Headstart property.
«»EPA
united states	CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding January/February/March 2017	EPA-S60-F-I7-003
Environmental Protection
Agency

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