Land Division RCRA Facilities Management Office • March 2015 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA S4105 866-EPA-WEST • www.epa.gov/region9 v»EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Pacific Southwest/Region 9 Serving Arizona, California, HaiMii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands and 148 Tribes National Historic Preservation Act Determination at Evoqua Water Technologies Introduction U.S. EPA is in the process of reviewing an application for a hazardous waste Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCR A) permit relating to the Evoqua Water Technologies facility in Parker, Arizona. As part of that review, EPA has conducted a number of studies considering various possible impacts of the facility on the surrounding community. One ot these is a National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) review, in which EPA assesses potential impacts of the permit decision on historic and/or culturally significant properties. Please see EPA's general fact sheet for discussion of other studies done as part of this permit process. The public will have the oppor- tunity to see and comment on EPA's proposed permit decision before a final permit decision is made. This fact sheet summarizes EPA's NHPA review. Please note that due to several changes of ownership for this facility, older documents may reflect previous facility names including Siemens Industries, Inc., U.S. Filter, and Westates. Permit Background Evoqua Water Technologies operates a spent carbon storage and treatment facility on the CRIT reserva- tion, near Parker, Arizona. There, spent carbon is treated in a regeneration furnace to purify it and turn it into a reusable filter material. EPA is responsible under RCRA law to permit facilities that manage regulated wastes on tribal lands. The Evoqua facili- ty has been operating under RCRA "interim status" classification while EPA reviews the facility's RCR A permit application. It is important to note that both the interim status and permit regulations require Evoqua Facility in Parker, AZ that the facility be operated safely, so as to protect human health and the environment. Overview of the NHPA Process US EPA conducted a review of potential impacts to historic properties in accordance with Section 106 of the NHPA. As part of the NHPA review, U.S. EPA carried out the following steps: • Initiated formal consultation with CRIT, the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, the Town of Parker, and the facility; • Designated a one-mile radius area of potential effect (APE); • Sought public comment on the APE and with identifying historic or culturally significant properties; • Searched for historic or culturally significant tribal properties within the APE; and • Evaluated potential effects of the permit decision on those properties. U.S. EPA made a final determination that the permit decision will have no adverse effect on historic prop- erties. A more detailed report documenting the steps taken in making this finding was sent to the consult- ing parties listed above. ------- Search for Historic Properties KP \ searched for historic properties within the \PI. by conducting the following activities: • Reviewing historical records with assistance from the CRlT Museum Director and Attorney General's office; • Reviewing site archaeological walkover records; • Reaching out to the public via public notice; and • Searching national and state databases for historical sites. Two sites were identified as potential historic proper- ties under NHPA One was Parker Cemetery, which lies within the APE and is a location where Navajo Code Talkers are interred. In addition, public com- ments revealed some concerns about the proximity of the facility to Black Peak, a sacred mountain approximately 3 miles away. weathering emissions above what would be released were the permit to be denied. In summary, 1 .P \ does not believe the permit deci- sion will significantly affect facility operations, and has made a determination that a permit decision relating to Evoqua's management of RCRA hazardous waste will have no adverse effect on historic or culturally significant properties." Contacts You can find more information on Evoqua (formerly Siemens) at US EPA Region 9's website: http: / /www.epa.gov/region9 / waste / siemens / index. html For further information, please contact: "Mike" Mahfouz Zabaneh, HE. Environmental Engineer/Project Manager Phone: (415) 972-3348 Fax: (415) 947-3533 2abaneh.Mahfouz@epa.gov Mailing Address: U.S. EPA Region 9, WST-4 75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Area of Potential Effect and nearby identified historic or culturally significant properties For media inquiries, please contact: Margot Perez-Sullivan Phone: (415) 947-4149 perezsullivan.margot@epa.gov Conclusion EPA considered potential effects of facility opera- tions on historic properties, including visual and auditory impacts, and impacts stemming from the presence of chemicals in the facility's emissions. However, the Evoqua facility could continue operat- ing whether or not a permit is issued, and EPA has made a finding that visual or auditory impacts from the facility will not be affected by the permit decision. EPA has also assessed potential acid weathering impacts of facility emissions on the headstones at the Parker Cemetery and determined that the issuance of a RCRA permit will not result in an increase in acid ------- |