State and Tribal Response S-EPA ¦ United States Program H ighIights ^rn,al p ec on EPA Funding Provided to States and Tribes to Address Contaminated Land in their Communities REGION I PASSAMAQUODDY TRIBE - Passamaquoddy Tribal Response Program personnel identified significant staining of surface soils at a remote property historically used for commercial timber harvesting. The property is located on tribal trust land in Lowelltown, Maine, and is surrounded by undeveloped forestland used primarily for timber harvesting and traditional tribal activities. The property was acquired by the Tribe in the early 1980s as part of the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act. In 2019, the Tribe used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct assessment activities that revealed soil soaked with hydraulic oil and scattered, empty 5-gallon oil containers. The tribe subsequently used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to screen and sample, excavate, and dispose of the oil-impacted soil. The property has since been returned to use as open greenspace, with limited timber harvesting continuing. REGION 2 NEW JERSEY - The Capital City Farm in Trenton opened in 2017 on a two-acre former industrial property. The abandoned property had been used as a dumping ground for years, but a community partnership—led by the D&R Greenway Land Trust and including the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen and Rescue Mission, and other local stakeholders—helped transform the property into a healthy green oasis. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to oversee the property's assessment and cleanup. Last year, Capital City Farm grew dozens of fruit and vegetable varieties on the once-derelict site, yielding more than 1,000 pounds of produce. More than 80 percent went to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, whose meals included daily fresh salads, and most of the rest was sold at a local farmers' market. A new farm stand will be opened on the property this summer, and plans are underway to add heating to the farm's large greenhouse so that food can be grown year-round. REGION 3 Capital City Farm in Trenton, New Jersey. WEST VIRGINIA-A once-abandoned, 400-acre former apple orchard now provides substantial economic benefit to the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. After the property was entered into the West Virginia Voluntary Remediation Program to address the historic use of arsenic as a pesticide, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection used Section 128(a) Response Program to oversee assessment and cleanup activities. The property has since been transformed into the Proctor and Gamble (P&G) Tabler Station Plant—the largest P&G production facility in the world—creating over 1,400 new jobs. The campus consists of a 796,320 square foot warehouse and distribution facility, and a 30,000 square foot Resource Center Administration Building, Gatehouse, and Trucker's Lounge. Amenities include a cafeteria, full-service kitchen, campus server room, showers, office and conference space, and a nurse's suite. The plant has received LEED Silver certification and incorporates sustainable design throughout. A main focal wall in the lobby utilizes wood salvaged from the site's original barn, and the exterior features a "living wall" that features the P&G logo against a backdrop of live plants. Living wall at the entrance of the Proctor and Gamble Tabler Station Plant CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding April/May/June 2020 ------- REGION 4 GEORGIA - The historic Pullman Yard property on Atlanta's East side has a long history of industrial and commercial use dating back to 1904, when a sugar and fertilizer processing plant was first constructed there. In 1922, Pullman Passenger Rail Car Company purchased the property and used it to repair and service its railcars until 1955. The property was owned by various entities and used industrially from 1955 until the Georgia Building Authority purchased it in 1990 to support a dinner train service that ran from Underground Atlanta to Stone Mountain. Although the property has been vacant for quite some time, it has been used as a location for movie and television productions, most notably The Hunger Games. Over the last several years, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide oversight of assessment and cleanup activities. In 2017 the property was purchased by Atomic Energy, which plans a $100 million, mixed-use entertainment and arts district with commercial and residential components. The site's iconic, historical structures will remain intact, while new construction of multi-family residences is anticipated in undeveloped areas. Estimated for completion as early as 2022, this project includes creation of a green, public gathering space for movies and concerts, former train bays converted to a "food bazaar" for vendors, and a boutique hotel. REGION 5 KEWEENAW BAY INDIAN COMMUNITY - The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) Natural Resources Department (NRD) is sponsoring a vibrant community garden on a former abandoned property in L'Anse. The KBIC-NRD used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct assessment activities that revealed no contamination. The garden was initiated by the NRD to help provide community members with access to healthy foods. This spring, in the greenhouse that now occupies the site, staff grew a variety of plants that included 24 types of tomatoes—all of them adapted to a cooler climate so they will ripen before frost—several different pepper plants (hot and sweet varieties), cilantro, basil, cauliflower, cabbages, potatoes, onions, and more. Staff from the KBIC-NRD Plants Program oversee activities at the garden and teach others on the care of fruit trees, vegetables, and medicinal plants. Through hands-on participation, volunteers will receive cultural teachings, learn about improving soil fertility, composting, companion planting, improving habitat for beneficial insects, recognizing nutrient deficiencies, and diagnosing plant pathogens. The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Garden. REGION 6 NEW MEXICO - The original Taos Community and Health Services building was constructed as a medical and dental clinic in 1936. In 2006, the building was destroyed by a fire. In 2017, the New Mexico Environmental Department used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct assessment and cleanup activities at the long-idle property, which included the removal of an incinerator. In 2019, the property was redeveloped as the Taos Community and Health Services building. The new 5,200 square foot facility is home to the behavioral health centers that provide mental health, substance abuse, and behavioral health services to the community. REGION 7 NEBRASKA-The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct assessment and cleanup activities at a brownfields in the Town of Kimball. The property was historically used as a blacksmith shop, irrigation flume factory, paint store, and other manufacturing. The assessment revealed semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and dibenz(a,h)anthracene concentrations slightly above the voluntary cleanup program's remediation goals for residential soils. Cleanup activities included demolition and removal of the site's building and the excavation and disposal of contaminated soils. The property is now ready for reuse and will be redeveloped into a new fitness center, slated to open by the end of 2020. CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding April/May/June 2020 ------- REGION 8 REGION 10 MONTANA - Mountain Home provides shelter for young mothers who need a place to live, and a network of support as they create safe, stable, and nurturing homes of their own. One of the five apartment units at Mountain Home was contaminated by someone smoking methamphetamine. In early 2020, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an environmental assessment and meth cleanup activities at the property. After cleanup was completed, the unit was repaired, re-painted, and furnished, and has since been occupied by a new tenant. REGION 9 ARIZONA - The Belmont Hotel, in the Town of Superior, was built in 1935 and operated up until 2008. In 2017, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an asbestos survey of the abandoned Belmont Hotel building. The town then conducted remediation and abatement of asbestos contaminants to ready the site for commercial development. "The Belmont Hotel is an iconic building to Superior's downtown, standing in the center of the community and serving as a symbol of the economic challenges that we have faced," says Superior Town Manager Todd Pryor. "Returning this building to usefulness and productivity will serve as a symbol of the Town's recovery and hope for the future." NATIVE VILLAGE OF GAKONA- The Native Village of Gakona (NVG) is located 200 miles northeast of Anchorage, Alaska. During the last few years, the focus of their Brownfields Tribal Response Program has been assessment of the former Heinz Site junkyard, which contains abandoned vehicles, tires, and household appliances. The NVG Tribal Response Program used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct initial assessment activities at the property. The NVG also received technical assistance from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and EPA for soil and groundwater sampling using penetrating radar to identify underground contamination, and ali of the data is being used to develop a site characterization and cleanup plan. NVG's goal is to restore the property into greenspace so the tribe can engage in safe and healthy subsistence practices on their land without fear of decaying fuel barrels, transformers ieaking PCBs, and contaminated vegetation. The Cooper River on Native Village of Gakona. M»EPA united states CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding April/May/June 2020 EPA S60-F-2I-023 Environmental Protection Agency ------- |