United States Environmental Protection i Agency ECOLOGICAL REVITALIZATION OF ABANDONED GAS STATIONS EPA/600/R-22/123 Abandoned Gas Stations are a common type of brownfield:. If you have one in your community, use this checklist to bring more life to the environment through ecological revitalization. id ¦ Bill Mil IH WHY FOCUS ON ABANDONED GAS STATIONS? There are 450,000 U.S. Brownfield sites and approximately 50% have leaking underground storage tanks (USTs) at old gas stations. Many abandoned gas stations are under 3 acres in ideal locations for reuse as parks, gardens, greenspaces, recreation, residences, or commercial spaces. Community health and the environment can benefit when petroleum contaminants at the site, in the building, in groundwater, and soils are addressed, and exposures prevented. ------- HOW CAN YOUR ABANDONED THE ENVIR Review the below checklist points to determi ~ SOIL HEALTH & REMEDIATION • What can help speed up the natural break down of petroleum? • Soil amendments, as organic materials, can improve soils, reduce compaction and help reduce the spread of petroleum contaminants. Add native plants to create habitat and biodiversity. • A healthy soil structure and soil amendments can balance pH, improve water holding capacity and drainage, filter contaminants and cycle nutrients which promote plant growth and biological diversity. Learn more about soil properties2, phytotechnologies3, and Biorennediatioin4. ~ GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND STORMWATER • How can expanding green space and unpaved areas near a site bring benefits? • Adding and extending green areas with rain gardens, bioswales, green roofs and permeable pavements aid stormwater management and provide other health benefits5 to the community. • Green design may also reduce construction costs and the need for salt in the winter. Read more on green infrastructure 6. ~ ECOSYSTEM BENEFITS • What natural features provide benefits and strengthen ecosystems? • Planting trees, shrubs, grasses or flowers can reduce air pollution, assist temperature regulation, buffer noise and provide habitat for pollinators, birds, and wildlife. Read more on ecosystem benefits e7. ~ ACCESSING GREENER REUSE • How do residents, workers or visitors access and enjoy natural features of the intended reuse? • Natural features can beautify and have environmental function that increase property values. Consider how greenery can add commercial value and complement solar panels, battery storage, EV charging and other forward-looking reuses. 5AS STATION REUSE IMPROVE DNMENT? e their applications within your site context. • j WW i M V' Trees and plants can extract, degrade, or immobilize pollutants through Phytoremediation. I1' ^ ------- RS Automotive Tacoma, Maryland RS Automotive is an electric vehicle (EV) charging station opened in 2019 after the owner closed the previous autoshop and gas station, • Underground storage tanks were removed with plans to keep the autoshop open. • City and state grant funds revitalized the shop into an EV charging station. • Patrons visit nearby businesses while their car charges for 15-30 minutes. • Photo source: Mhari Shaw/ISIPR12 Big Daddy's Garden Emeryville, California Big Daddy's Complete Rejuvenating Community Garden is named for the owner of the gas station and autoshop that was once at this site. • Neighborhood residents led the creation of the garden space. • Volunteer work and a combination of city and local donorfunding fueled the construction. • Bringing in raised garden beds and clean soil is safe practice to ensure residual petroleum contaminants are not taken up into the garden products. Read more on what you should Know Before You Grow8. SeQuential Biofuels Eugene, Oregon SeQuential9 is a biofuels station and retail store restored with green infrastructure in a gas station brownfield redevelopment. • Stormwater is filtered by the station's vegetated roof, roadside rain gardens, and a retention pond. • Passive solar heat and lighting reduce energy needs of the site. • Local pollution from fuel is reduced by offering bioethanol and biodiesel produced from used cooking oil and agricultural and industrial waste instead of volatile oil compounds. • Photo source: 6reenRoofs.com Featured Project10 Brandywine Village Green Wilmington, Delaware The city of Wilmington in coordination with the Greater Brandywine Village Revitalization Group revitalized an abandoned gas station site into a park and parking lot with green infrastructure features to fit the immediate needs of the community. • Permeable pavement enables stormwater to collect in piping under the parking lot, where it then flows to a bioswale - a depression in the surface used to collect stormwater. • Contaminants in runoff are absorbed by sand and peat moss below the parking lot and bioswale. • Photo source: Region 3 PavinE its Brownfields " Green " 11 ABANDONED GAS STATION REVITALIZATION EXAMPLES Successful reuse is not one size fits all. Contact your local, state, and tribal brownfields program for their help. EPA Resources: EPA Brownfields Grants13 | Anatomy of Brownfields Redevelopment14 | Climate Smart Brownfields Manual15 ------- WHY TRANSFORM ABANDONED GAS STATIONS INTO ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY ASSETS? Determine with community members what benefits they want to see in the site reuse. VV VV Icfg* iSP Meeting Community Need Many under-resourced and poor communities do not have access to green spaces. Transforming abandoned gas stations into green spaces on main streets and commercial areas has environmental possibilities nationwide16. The benefits associated with remediating and revitalizing a single abandoned gas station site can be impactful for a single community. At a national scale17, adding benefits from the thousands of sites across the US may lead to significant benefits over time (EPA 201418). The following sections contain a few reasons to introduce environmental assets to a community in place of an abandoned gas station. Links to websites outside the EPA website are provided for the convenience of the user. Inclusion of information about a website, an organization, a product or a service does not represent endorsement or approval by EPA, nor does it represent EPA opinion, policy or guidance unless specifically indicated. EPA does not exercise any editorial control over the information that may be found at any non-EPA website. Trees and Greenery Planting a greater diversity of tree species facilitates significant recreational and aesthetic value found in a 2019 analysis19. The estimated beneficial effects of trees on greenery include 17.4 million tons of air pollution removed and $7 billion value in human health savings in the Conterminous U.S. according to a 2014 study20. In addition to reducing pollution and providing greenspace, trees also lower energy bills and energy demand by providing shade and cooling the air through evapotranspiration21. Green Infrastructure Redevelopment of metro area brownfield sites reduces impervious surfaces, a type of green design for stormwater management, by 73-80% compared to business as usual development (EPA 202022). Green infrastructure can bolster the capacity to manage stormwater. It costs less than conventional gray infrastructure and reduces municipal water usage and cooling costs. Reducing stormwater-related impacts also reduces a person's exposure to water pollution and flooding-related health hazards and their associated health outcomes23, such as waterborne illnesses. v>EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency EV Charging Create an EV charging station to meet growing charging needs and reduce vehicle emissions. Decreasing greenhouse gas emissions also reduces air pollution, dependence on fossil fuels and helps meet climate goals. Assess the market potential of an EV charging station in your community, as demonstrated in Alameda County. California24. The property cleanup costs can also be less expensive when repurposing the site as an alternative fueling station compared to other redevelopment options. Read more on how to convert your abandoned gas station site into an EV charging station25. Office of Research and Development Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment Contact: bierwaaen,britta@epa.gov ------- REFERENCES AND RESOURCES 1. https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/overview-epas-brownfields-program 2. https://www.epa.gov/water-research/urban-soils-ecosvstem-services-and-application-green-infrastructure-practices 3. https://clu-in.org/download/remed/phytotechnologies-factsheet.pdf 4. https://semspub.epa.gov/work/HQ/401583.pdf 5. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-ll/documents/greeninfrastructure healthy communities factsheet.pdf 6. https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/what-green-infrastructure 7. https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/ecosvstem-services-enviroatlas-l 8. https://www.epa.gov/svstem/files/documents/2022-02/know-before-vou-grow.pdf 9. https://sqbiofuels.com/ 10. https://www.greenroofs.com/2011/05/20/gpw-sequentials-biofueling-retail-station/ 11. https://19ianuary2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2Q15-ll/documents/de-wilmington.pdf 12. https://www.npr.org/2019/10/26/773446805/gas-station-converts-to-electric-charging-station-and-speeds-ahead-of-curve 13. https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-epa-brownfield-grant-funding 14. https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/anatomv-brownfields-redevelopment-0 15. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-06/documents/final climate smart brownfields manual 6-10-21 508 complaint.pdf 16. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/comben.pdf 17. https://www.epa.gov/ust/ust-finder 18. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-01/documents/prevention cleanup and reuse benefits from the federal ust program.pdf 19. https://besiournals.onlinelibrary.wilev.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.14 20. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S02697491140Q23957via%3Dihub 21. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-09/documents/heat island 4-page brochure 508 120413.pdf 22. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-01/documents/environmental benefits of brownfields redevelopment final 560-r-20-001 - 508 compliant O.pdf 23. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-ll/documents/greeninfrastructure healthy communities factsheet.pdf 24. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-06/documents/alameda countv-ca bf to ev charging stations final 6-3-2021 508.pdf 25. https://www.epa.gov/svstem/files/documents/2021-09/revitalizing-brownfield-sites-into-electric-vehicle-charging-stations.pdf Links to websites outside the EPA website are provided for the convenience of the user. Inclusion of information about a website, an organization, a United States Office of Research and Development product or a service does not represent endorsement or approval by EPA, nor does it represent EPA opinion, policy or guidance unless specifically Environmental Protection Center for Pu blic Health and Environmental Assessment indicated. EPA does not exercise any editorial control over the information that may be found at any non-EPA website. ™* Agency Contact: bierwaeen.brittafSeDa.gov ------- |