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CITY OF DAVIS WINS FUNDING FOR FRONTIER FERTILIZER SUPERFUND SITE

Release Date: 7/26/1999
Contact Information: Dave Schmidt, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1578

     U.S. EPA KICKS OFF NEW SUPERFUND SITE REDEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
       DAVIS SITE FIRST IN WEST, ONE OF JUST 10 NATIONWIDE

     (San Francisco) --  Speaking today at the Frontier Fertilizer Superfund Site in Davis, Calif., EPA Deputy Regional Administrator Laura Yoshii awarded funding of up to $100,000 to the city of Davis to plan redevelopment of the site. Davis is the first city in EPA's western region -- and one of only 10 in the entire U. S. -- to receive funding from EPA's new Superfund Redevelopment Initiative. EPA plans to award funding to another 40 local governments nationwide over the next two years.
 
     "The Frontier Fertilizer Site is a perfect location for redevelopment," said Yoshii.  "This grant will speed up the site's transformation."  

     The Frontier Fertilizer Superfund Site is located on Second Street in Davis, on the northwest side of Interstate 80's Mace Blvd. Interchange.  Soil and groundwater beneath the site was contaminated by improper disposal of pesticide-laden water on the site during the 1970's and 1980's. Contaminated surface soil from the site was removed and treated in 1985, while groundwater has been continuously pumped and treated since 1993.  However, further cleanup measures will be needed.  The grant will involve the community in reuse planning before further cleanup plans are finalized, so that the cleanup can be tailored to the proposed redevelopment.

     The Sacramento area has six other Superfund National Priorities List sites: the Jibboom Junkyard in downtown Sacramento (where cleanup is already complete), the Sacramento Army Depot, Aerojet General Corp. in Rancho Cordova, Travis Air Force Base, McClellan Air Force Base, and the Lehr/Old Campus Landfill Site in Davis.  In addition, EPA awarded Sacramento a $200,000 Brownfields grant in 1997 for assessment, cleanup, and reuse of less-contaminated sites.
 
     The national focus on redeveloping Superfund sites builds on the success EPA has achieved in  its Brownfields program. Under this program EPA has awarded over 300 Brownfields grants, for over $69 million, to states, cities, towns, and tribes. These grants have leveraged nearly $1 billion for redevelopment and created over 2,000 jobs.  The Brownfields program is designed to empower states, local government and communities to develop public/private partnerships that restore abandoned sites to new uses, thereby increasing property values, stimulating tax revenues and revitalizing communities.
 
     Under the new Superfund Redevelopment Initiative grants program, each local government selected will receive up to $100,000 in the form of a cooperative agreement with the local government to conduct reuse assessments and public outreach to help determine the likely future use of the site.

     Besides the Davis grant, EPA has chosen nine other sites across the nation for Superfund Redevelopment Initiative grants: McCormick and Baxter Creosoting Co., Portland, Ore.; Midvale Slag, Midvale, Utah; National Mine Tailings, Park Hills, Mo.; Many Diversified Interests, Houston, Tex.; Escambia Treating Co., Pensacola, Fla.; Tar Lake, Mancenola, Mich.; Roebling Steel, Roebling, N.J.; Avtex Fibers, Avtex, Va.; and Pownal Tannery, Pownal, Vt.

     In addition to the grant projects, the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative will include Superfund policy and guidance changes, partnerships with federal agencies and other organizations, and the exchange of information on how redevelopment of Superfund sites has occurred in the past.
                 
     By working in partnership with states, tribes, other federal agencies, local government, communities, land owners, lenders, developers and responsible parties, EPA will determine critical factors that lead to the successful reuse of Superfund sites and will serve as a conduit for information exchange with other communities across the country.  With these pilot grants, EPA will evaluate policies and make necessary changes to promote reuse of these sites.  EPA also will create a searchable database that will serve as a clearinghouse of sites that are available for reuse.

     For more information about the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative visit EPA's web page at:  https://www.epa.gov/superfund/recycling or call the Superfund hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or 703-412-9810.