State and Tribal Response v>EPA ¦ United States Program H ighIights fc*protec,ion EPA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities REGION I MAINE - A new park and amphitheater are now located along the Saco River in Biddeford. The former Florida Power and Light (FPL) site, which was historically part of the River Dam Mill, was used for storage and production related to the mill between the late 1800s and mid-1900s. The property was then used for transformer storage in the late 1900s, In 2015, the city used EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant funding to characterize the property. The assessment revealed industrial fill with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and arsenic levels above the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Remedial Action Guidelines exposure scenarios. In 2016, the Maine DEP used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide oversight for the installation of an environmental cap cover system protecting against future flooding events and preventing contact with the underlying impacted soils. Environmental covenants are in place that prohibit the use of groundwater and require the periodic inspection and maintenance of the cover system. The city created a stunning, pocket park and amphitheater that serves the ever- growing population living in the area's newly refurbished mills. New part and amphitheater along the Saco River. REGION 2 NEW JERSEY - The Keasbey Woodbridge Brownfield Development Area (BDA) is comprised of approximately 270 acres in Woodbridge. This includes the former El Paso's chemical manufacturing property which lay vacant and contaminated for decades. Environmental assessments revealed groundwater contamination beneath the plant, with volatile organic compounds including vinyl chloride, trichloroethyiene, and methylene chloride. Dredged river waste was also dumped on the property. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide oversight of the remediation of the property. Through the designation of the Woodbridge BDA, the property was redeveloped into the Woodbridge Energy Center and the Woodbridge Eco-Wetland Park, also under NJDEP oversight. When the project is complete, a new natural gas power plant will produce affordable, clean energy for New Jersey residents, replacing older, more polluting facilities fueled by coal and oil. Protected wetlands will help keep the local environment clean, safe, and available for recreational use. The Woodbridge Waterfront Park will include two miles of new hiking trails and boardwalks along the river. REGION 3 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - Nine property parcels in the Southwest part of the District are being redeveloped into a professional sports stadium for the DC United team of Major League Soccer, The parcels include a former parking lot, salvage company, salt dome, and an electricity generating station. The District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment's Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to oversee assessment and cleanup of the property. The environmental assessments discovered metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), and asbestos- lined piping. Contaminated soil was excavated and disposed of offsite, and clean soil was imported for backfill from sites in the District, Maryland and Virginia. Permanent wells were installed to monitor the movement of potentially contaminated groundwater toward the nearby Anacostia River. Because of the size of this project and the potential effects on surrounding neighborhoods, the Department of Energy and Environment has been in frequent contact with the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission and several environmental groups to ensure all stakeholders that the neighborhoods are protected. It is anticipated that the same type of neighborhood revitalization that occurred around the Nationals' baseball stadium will happen in this neighborhood as well. Construction of the soccer stadium is moving along at a brisk pace, with the first game scheduled for July 2018. CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Iribal Response Program Funding October/November/December 2017 ------- REGION 4 REGION 6 SOUTH CAROLINA - The Rock Hill Bleachery property, a former textile printing and finishing plant, is being redeveloped into University Center at Knowledge Park—a project that will connect Winthrop University with the Rock Hill Central Business District. The complex consists of six buildings dating as far back as 1925, as well as a reservoir, and employed nearly 5,000 workers at its height in 1965. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to oversee assessment and cleanup activities at the property. The environmental assessments revealed volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi- volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), asbestos, lead, and petroleum contamination. Cleanup activities involved storage tank removals and soil excavation. In 2018, five projects will be under construction on the 23-acre property. "It's a transformation project" for Rock Hill, says Rock Hill Mayor Doug Echols. It will feature retail space, apartments, student housing, office space, a parking garage, a hotel, and a large indoor sports facility to further increase Rock Hill's sports tourism appeal. Artist rendering of University Center at Knowledge Park. REGION 5 MINNESOTA- For nearly a century, the building on Broadway Street helped illuminate Northeast Minneapolis: first as a light bulb factory, and then as the headquarters for Minneapolis Public Schools. The property was later abandoned and sat idle for many years. In 2016, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to oversee the removal of soil contamination, asbestos, and lead-based paint. After cleanup activities were complete, three large and unsightly outbuildings were removed from the property. The redevelopment of the property into the Highlight Center has become an asset within the community. Today, the property serves as a bright model for redevelopment in adaptive reuse. The mixed-use complex includes many tech-related businesses, a sports platform developer, a coffee shop, and a brewery. The property offers a variety of amenities including new green space, a dog park, and an on-site parking garage, as well as an underground stormwater management system. The project has brought more than 550 jobs to the area. A century after it was first constructed, Highlight Center is continuing to bring light to the community. OKLAHOMA-The small city of The Village revitalized a blighted apartment complex into a thriving community center, clinic, and 124 garden homes and townhouses. The 27-acre property occupied 35 percent of the city's available land. Before the city could demolish the apartments, asbestos had to be abated. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to oversee the abatement. The city received a loan from the ODEQ Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF), an EPA Cleanup Grant, and local funding. Bruce Stone, City Manager of The Village, said "The brownfield loan and the EPA grant helped pave the way for the demolition and redevelopment, setting the stage for the tax increment financing district to flourish." Removal of the blighted apartment complex resulted in a free clinic that has provided over $12 million in free medical care to date. It added modern homes, reduced crime, and increased property values and tax revenues. The redevelopment spurred additional development around the property, including a corporate office complex, a nursing home facility, a 62-home gated community, and new retail and office buildings. The Village RLF loan is scheduled to be fully repaid in August 2018. New residential community in The Village. REGION 7 IOWA - When the Rath Packing Company closed in 1985, it left more than 2 million square feet of vacant industrial space, ushering in a period of severe disinvestment in the area. The city used an EPAAssessment Grant and other federal, state and local funding to assess and clean up the property. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to oversee the removal and cleanup of underground storage tanks, soil contamination, and hazardous debris. Noel Anderson, the city's director of community planning and development, stated that "EPA funded assistance has helped the city transform the area into a human services campus." The property now houses several social services providers, including the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, the Waterloo Women's Center for Change, and Operation Threshold, a local community action agency that helps residents meet their basic needs and become self-sufficient. CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Iribal Response Program Funding October/November/December 2017 ------- REGION 8 SPIRIT LAKE NATION - In September 2017, the Spirit Lake Nation used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to complete cleanup activities at three abandoned homes and a Head Start Center in Tokio, North Dakota, as well as a former post office property that was recently burned in St. Michael, North Dakota. Prior to working with tribal staff to contract for cleanup, EPA Region 8 performed Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBA) at all five properties, which confirmed the presence of asbestos and lead. "The Spirit Lake EPA and the communities of Woodlake and the Mission are grateful for the cleanup that was conducted on the abandoned homes and the burnt down post office building on Spirit Lake Nation," stated Arthur Carmona, Tribal Response Program Coordinator with the Spirit Lake Environmental Protection Administration. The three former home properties in Tokio will be reused for housing, the site of the former post office will be incorporated into the adjacent recreational fields, and the Headstart School will be renovated and reused as an early childhood school. REGION 9 ARIZONA - Using Section 128(a) Response Program funding, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) assisted the non-profit Pine Forest Education Association, Inc. (PFEA) on a property they had recently purchased and were interested in expanding. The PFEA purchased the former St. Pius Catholic Church in Flagstaff with the goal of renovating it to accommodate increasing enrollment at their Pine Forest Charter School. The 23,000 square foot building was built in 1967, and an asbestos and lead-based paint survey indicated that abatement work was needed before renovations could commence. ADEQ used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct the two-stage cleanup, which was completed in November 2016. Subsequent renovations by the PFEA included new classroom space and new amenities. In January 2017, PFEA relocated all 295 of their students to the new facilities and will be expanding their enrollment to 350 students by August 2018. The new campus enables the school to host many community events in its Great Hall, as well as providing a meeting space to local music groups during non-school hours. REGION 10 DOUGLAS INDIAN ASSOCIATION (DIA) - The DIA is a federally recognized Tribe of the Tlingit People and relies upon subsistence food harvests, the traditional mainstay of village life, and so actively works to preserve and restore the cultural and natural resources of their lands and waters. DIA has used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to sample beaches near the Treadwell Mine on Douglas Island and within the Taku River Inlet to identify possible sediment contamination of their subsistence resources. The DIA is trying to better understand what risks tribal members may encounter through direct contact with sediments or from harvested plants or shellfish. In addition, under a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, the DIA Tribal Resource Program (TRP) collaborated with the Central Council of Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes to collect baseline water quality data for three major transboundary rivers, the Taku, Stikine, and Unuk, which flow from British Columbia, Canada, into Southeastern Alaska. Creating and strengthening partnerships with other stakeholders working for the health of the ecosystem helps build DIA capacity to protect human health and the environment. DIA staff taking water quality samples. The San Francisco deAsis Church (formerly St Pius Catholic Church) in Flagstaff, Arizona. united states CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding October/November/December 2017 EPA-S60-F-18-001 Environmental Protection Agency ------- |