/ O \ Brownfields 1998 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet
1 J Tohono O'odham Nation, AZ
EPA Brownfields Initiative
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states,
communities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the
expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be
complicated by the presence or potential presence of a
hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On
January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into
law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields
Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields Law, EPA
provides financial assistance to eligible applicants
through four competitive grant programs: assessment
grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and
job training grants. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through a
separate mechanism.
Background
EPA has selected the Tohono O'odham Nation for a
Brownfields Pilot. The Nation has a population of almost
15,000 and is located in southwest Arizona. The Tohono
O'odham have lived in the region for more than 10,000
years. The San Xavier District, one of eleven Nation
districts, is the home of a famous mission and several
established archaeological sites. The San Xavier District
has a tribal population of 1,400. The area's land use is a
mix of industrial properties and low- to very-low-income
residential units. The reservation has a very low
employment rate, although the San Xavier District
maintains a slightly higher employment rate due to its
proximity to the City of Tucson.
The Pilot plans to focus on a chemical manufacturing
plant located in the San Xavier District. The targeted
Minerec Mining Chemical Company is one of 13 tenants
in the Nation's San Xavier Industrial Park. The Nation
has serious concerns about the Minerec plant because of
suspected environmental contamination resulting from
past manufacturing processes and operations. The Nation
will assess and plan for cleanup of this property to
protect the environment and the health of the industrial
park workers and nearby residents.
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 05/01/1998
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets a chemical manufacturing
property within the Nation's San Xavier Industrial
Park.
Contacts
For further information, including specific grant
contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
news and events, and publications and links, visit the
EPA Brownfields Web site
(http ://www .epa.gov/brownfields).
EPA Region 9 Brownfields Team
(415)972-3091
EPA Region 9 Brownfields Web site
(http ://www .epa.gov/region9/brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Tohono O'Odham Nation,CA
(520)383-2221 ext 208
Objectives
The Pilot plans to develop and establish methods and
protocols for site assessment of tribal lands that will
create a self-regenerating environmental cleanup and
economic development process, a key part of an
environmentally sound land use planning process. The
Pilot will lay the foundation for quality site assessments
for tribal brownfields. More specifically, the Pilot plans
to assess and prepare for cleanup and redevelopment of
the targeted property. In traditional Tohono O'odham
fashion, community involvement will be a key for the
Pilot. The Pilot also hopes to serve as a model of
sustainable brownfields redevelopment for other tribes
in the region.
Activities
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting a Phase I site characterization and a
Phase II environmental site assessment at the
Minerec property;
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•	Developing plans to ensure proper and safe
assessment and cleanup of the property that is
acceptable to the community, including a
sampling and analysis plan, a site safety plan, a
quality assurance plan, and an environmental
justice plan;
•	Developing a community involvement plan that
includes outreach through district and
community meetings;
•	Developing a cleanup and reuse strategy; and
•	Establishing protocols for future assessments
based on Pilot activities.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet
been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this
fact sheet are subject to change.
The information presented in this fact sheet comes from
the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of
this information. The cooperative agreement for the
grant has not yet been negotiated. Therefore, activities
described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
Solid Waste
EPA 500-F-98-162
May 98

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