Brownfields
Success Story
Making Room for New Homes
Spirit Lake Tribe, North Dakota
Between 2006 and 2019, the Spirit Lake Tribe used EPA Brownfields
funding to complete an impressive 41 cleanups throughout their tribal
lands. The majority of the cleanups have occurred on abandoned
houses that were contaminated with asbestos and lead. Housing is a
critical need for the Tribe, and these cleanups have removed
substandard structures so that new and safe homes can be built in
their place.
Brownfields funding has also helped remove asbestos materials from a
Head Start building prior to its renovation. At another site, vermiculite
asbestos present in the building debris of a former post office posed a
health risk to people and nearby wetlands. The asbestos, building
debris, and contaminated soils have been removed, and the area is
now natural open space adjacent to existing recreational fields.
EPA Grant Recipient:
Spirit Lake Tribe, North Dakota
Technical Assistance Tool:
EPA Targeted Brownfield Assessment
EPA Grants Used:
. Annual CERCLA 128(a) Tribal
Response Funding
• Brownfield Cleanup Grant
Keys to Success
The presence of brownfields advocates within the Tribal government is
a major factor. Also, they have refined a process that combines EPA
grant types within an annual cycle, which has maximized the number
of cleanups.
The process begins by completing a brief application for a no-cost
Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA). The best time to do this is in
the spring. During the summer, environmental specialists contracted
by EPA perform the assessments which identify the presence and
locations of contaminants and estimate the costs of removing them.
With information gained from the TBAs, the Tribe then completes
planning and budgeting for cleanups in the summer and fall. Typically,
they use funds from their CERCLA 128(a) Brownfields Tribal Response
Program grant to pay for the cleanups.
In 2017, when TBA results indicated that the Tribal Response Program
grant funding would not be enough to cover cleanup costs, the Tribe
applied for and received a $200,000 competitive Brownfield grant to
clean nine houses in Sheyenne, North Dakota. With that boost, the
Tribe was also able to target $30,000 of Tribal Response funding to
clean three houses in other parts of the reservation.
"The local community is very happy with the recent cleanups. We have
eliminated major hazards and the properties can be safely reused
—Arthur Carmona, Spirit Lake Environmental Protection Administration
v»EPA
For more information, contact:
Ted Lanzano at (303) 312-6596
Lanzano.Ted@epa.gov
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
A house contaminated by hazardous materials,
before and after cleanup.
EPA 560F20010 March 2020

-------