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 MAINE - For more than 15 years, several adjoining properties along State Route 4 in Madrid County have stood abandoned. The properties consisted of a dance hall constructed in the mid- 1900s, a gas station that began operation in the early 1900s, and a hamburger stand. The businesses operated until the early 2000s and closed due to the region's economic decline. In early 2020, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct assessment and cleanup activities at these adjacent properties. Cleanup activities included the removal of two underground storage tanks (USTs) and dispensers, building demolition, and removal of debris. The combined sites are now being transformed into a scenic turnout and parking area as the start of the Rangeley Lakes National Scenic Byway. The area will include signs that highlight the cultural, historical, and recreational opportunities awaiting Maine's visitors. It will celebrate the unique character of the area's history and tout the local fisheries and waterways. Rangeley Lakes National Scenic ByWay. REGION 2 NEW YORK - The Harrison Radiator plant was built in downtown Lockport over 100 years ago. The plant manufactured automobile parts for GMC until the early 1990s, after which the property fell into disrepair and laid vacant. In 2019, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct supplemental assessment activities at the property, revealing contaminated soils from the suspected release of petroleum products, solvents, and volatile organic chemicals. The NYS DEC is currently overseeing the final stages of cleanup at the property, with anticipated completion in early 2021. Redevelopment plans are in place to renovate the site' historic building into 77 apartments, with commercial space on the first floor, including two restaurants and a farmer's market. REGION 3 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - The Columbia Iron Works was built in 1907 and operated as an iron foundry until 1999. The property housed other tenants and businesses for several years in the early 2000s, but eventually became idle and was abandoned. In 2017, The District of Columbia Department of Environment used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct assessment activities at the property, which revealed volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination in the soil. In 2018, the DC Department of Environment oversaw the excavation and removal of contaminated soil. The site's building was later demolished, and the property was redeveloped into a self-storage facility. REGION 4 TENNESSEE - The Former Laycook Clutch property in downtown Memphis was home to automotive and truck repair activities as early as 1928. Adjacent properties included dry cleaners, gas stations, and other automotive repair facilities. Prior to redevelopment, the property most recently consisted of four buildings, a gravel parking area, and vacant land. Two of the site's four buildings were used for storage and the remaining two were used for automotive and brake repair. Environmental assessments revealed semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), volatile organic compound (VOCs), and metals contamination in soil. VOCs were also present in soil gas. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to provide oversight of soil removal and the installation of a vapor mitigation system beneath and within one of the new buildings. The property received a No Further Action letter from the DEC in March 2019 and the property was redeveloped as an apartment complex in 2020, CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding July/August/September 2020 ------- REGION 5 OHIO - A 6-acre property in the City of Oregon is now part of the Otter Creek Restoration Project. This large piece of land was owned by Sun Oil Company from 1950 to 1973; however, based on the review of historical aerial photographs and Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, the property was never developed. Over the years, the property, located in an industrial area, became littered with trash, in 2018, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an environmental assessment on the property. The initial concern was that a petroleum pipeline might run through the property; however, records did not indicate that the pipeline was ever developed. The city received Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding to construct a storm water collection, filtration, and nutrient reduction system on the property to protect the Otter Creek and Maumee Rivers, which are tributaries to Lake Erie. The Otter Creek Restoration Project is working on completing remedial design and habitat improvement projects on properties adjacent to the creek and in the surrounding area to remove contaminated sediments from Otter Creek and further improve water quality. Wetland floodplain restoration at the Otter Creek Restoration Project. REGION 6 LOUSIANA-The McDonogh 19 Elementary School, located in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, was built in 1929. In the fall of 1960, the school was involved in the New Orleans school desegregation crisis when three young black girls: Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost, and Gail Etienne (known as the McDonogh Three) attended the all-white school. Despite its significance as a Civil Rights landmark, the school building has sat vacant and boarded up since Hurricane Katrina. In 2016, the school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its role in school desegregation. Several years later, an environmental assessment was conducted on the property, and in 2020, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to remove asbestos, lead- based paint, and mold from the structure. McDonogh 19 will soon be renovated into a Civil Rights museum with interactive exhibits highlighting the history of desegregation. The three-story Italian Renaissance-style building will also feature 25 affordable apartments for senior citizens, as well as office space. CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEERS McDonogh No. 1S> Elementary School Site of the Integration of Southern Elementary School November 14, 1960 On November 14. ,1960. four six year-old children in New Orleans became the first African - Americans to integrate 'white only' public elementary schools In the Deep South. On that day. three girls enrolled in McDonogh No. 19 School at 5909 St. Claude Avenue. A fourth girl began classes at William Frantz School at 3811 North Galvez Street j The integration of New Orleans public elementary schools marked a major focal point in the history of the American Civil » Rights Movement. With worldwide attention focused on New Orleans, federal marshals wearing yellow armbands began escorting the four girls to the schools at 9 am By 9:25 am. the first two public elementary schools in the Deep South were integrated. As front line soldiers in the Civil Rights Movement, the four girls, their families, and white f.amilies who kept their children in integrated schools endured taunts, threats. V/iolence and a year long boycott by segregationists. Despite danger, the four children successfully completed the school year Their courage paved the way for a more peaceful expansion of integration into qther schools in the following j&ears. .iv - Civil Rights marker for the McDonough 19 Elementary School. CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding July/August/September 2020 ------- REGION 7 REGION 10 IOWA - For nearly 100 years, the City of Muscatine purchased agricultural supplies and equipment from a commercial feed, seed, and AgChern business, until the company changed locations in the early 2000s. The company's former property sat vacant for many years, and the site's building began to collapse. The city took title after conducting an all appropriate inquiry and worked with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to clean up the property. In 2020, the IDNR used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct cleanup activities that included the removal of drums and asbestos in the building. After cleanup activities were completed, the city demolished the building and removed the equipment from the property. The city now has a shovel-ready property located on a major corridor for future development opportunities. REGION 8 YANKTON SIOUX TRIBE - The Marty Old Hall building was built on the Yankton Sioux reservation in 1957 and served as a convent until 1982, when it was converted to administration offices for the tribe. In 2010, the two-story building became flooded and was abandoned. In 2016, the Yankton Sioux Tribe used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to conduct an assessment of the property; and in 2018, used Section 128(a) funding to remove asbestos-containing material, lead-based paint, and mold. After cleanup, the tribe rehabilitated the existing building and transformed it into a homeless shelter for members of the community. REGION 9 CALIFORNIA- Since 1945, a 44-acre property near the Town of Hayfork has been used for logging and lumber operations. The property contained a sawmill and additional structures used in the historic mill. In the early 2000s, an environmental assessment was conducted at the property; and in 2017, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control used Section 128(a) Response Program funding to oversee further assessment and cleanup activities. The assessments had revealed elevated concentrations of diesel-range organics, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes surrounding an underground storage tank (UST); cleanup activities included the excavation and removal of the UST and contaminated soil. In 2018, the Watershed Research and Training Center, a non-profit organization that conducts land and watershed management services, purchased the property. SHOSHONE-BANNOCK TRIBES - The Shoshone-Bannock Tribe of the Fort Hall Reservation has been using Section 128(a) Response Programs funding to assess and clean up residential housing, a priority of the tribe. In 2020, the tribal response program assessed and cleaned up eight residential properties. Seven of the eight properties contained asbestos, and the other had extensive fire damage. After cleanup, all of the properties were remodeled, painted, and made available for new families to move in. Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho. M»EPA united states CERCLA Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Funding July/August/September 2020 EPA S60-F-2I-024 Environmental Protection Agency ------- |