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Two Louisiana Sites Selected as Pilots for EPA Redevelopment Project

Release Date: 7/13/2000
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

     The Ruston Foundry site in Alexandria and the Central Wood Preserving site in Clinton are two of 40 sites in the nation chosen to be pilot projects for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund program's Redevelopment Initiative.

     The Redevelopment Initiative gives funding and support to states, communities or tribes to help them plan for reusing Superfund sites before the cleanup method is chosen. This helps ensure that the cleanup results are consistent with the planned reuse of the site.

     "EPA's goal is to ensure that community approved reuse plans are considered when the cleanup itself is planned. Knowing the community's wishes helps us tailor the cleanup to those needs," said EPA Regional Administrator Gregg Cooke.

     The Ruston Foundry and Machine Shop operated from 1908 until 1985, and may have contaminated its property and nearby homes with arsenic, copper, lead and zinc.

     Alexandria plans to use its $59,200 cooperative agreement to develop reuse plans for Ruston in coordination with the community. Some reuse options include a community building or park.

     Central Wood Preserving operated from the mid-1950s until 1991. The facility used creosote and wolmanac (a solution of copper oxide, chromic acid and arsenic acid) to preserve wood products.

     The East Feliciana Parish Jury plans to use its $100,000 cooperative agreement to assess reuse options for the Central Wood Preserving site and provide input to EPA's cleanup method selection process. The jury will then develop a comprehensive reuse plan and implementation strategy, and seek community and stakeholder comment on its proposal. The jury is also pursuing the possibility of developing a recreation area for the parish.

     The EPA Superfund program works closely with state agencies to clean and restore uncontrolled contaminated properties. Superfund cleans sites when the work required is beyond the resources of state and local agencies.

     More information on the Redevelopment Initiative is available on EPA's web site at https://www.epa.gov/oerrpage/superfund/programs/recycle/overview.htm.