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EPA awards over $10.3 million in grants to Pacific Southwest groups, governments, tribe to clean up, redevelop abandoned properties

Release Date: 05/12/2006
Contact Information: Lisa Fasano, 415.947-4307

(5/12/06) SAN FRANCISCO-- Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded over $10.3 million to Pacific Southwest groups for assessment, inventory, redevelopment and cleanup of properties that have sat idle due to perceived or real contamination.

The funds will help pay for projects in Californa, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands, where grant recipients are working to redevelop “brownfield” properties. Today’s awards were part of $69.9 million in brownfields grants given out to communities throughout the country.

“Today’s grants will help speed the cleanup and redevelopment of properties, providing jobs and helping revitalize neighborhoods,” said Wayne Nastri, administrator of the U.S. EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. “The brownfields program enables communities to develop idle land into productive community assets.”

The brownfields program encourages turning America's estimated 450,000 problem properties to productive community use. Since the beginning of the brownfields program, the EPA has awarded 883 assessment grants totaling $225.4 million, 202 revolving loan fund grants totaling $186.7 million, and 238 cleanup grants totaling $42.7 million.

In addition to industrial and commercial redevelopment, brownfields approaches have included the conversion of industrial waterfronts to river-front parks, landfills to golf courses, rail corridors to recreational trails, and gas stations to housing. EPA's brownfields assistance has leveraged more than $8.2 billion in private investment, helped create 37,525 jobs and resulted in the assessment of 8,374 properties and the cleanup of 93 properties.

California grant:

* California Department of Toxic Substances Control, Los Angeles and San Francisco received a $2,500,000 hazardous substances grant and a $500,000 petroleum contamination grant which will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund from which the California Department of Toxic Substances Control will provide loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities at sites contaminated with hazardous substances and petroleum. Grant funds also will be used to conduct cleanup activities, and implement community involvement activities in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and rural areas of the state. The coalition partners are the City of Los Angeles and the Redevelopment Agency of the City and County of San Francisco.

San Francisco Bay Area grants include:

* The city of Oakland will use $400,000 for assessing petroleum and hazardous substances in an area around the Coliseum BART Station. The funds will be used fro community outreach activities and cleanup planning.

* The Oakland Redevelopment Agency was awarded $200,000 to clean up the Fox Courts site at the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and 18th Street, which has been used for residential and commercial purposes since the early 1900s. Grant funds will be used for cleanup planning, community outreach, and the removal and disposal of contaminated soil.

* The Oakland Housing Authority will apply its $200,000 grant toward cleaning up hazardous substances at the Tassafaronga Village Revitalization Plan Site at 1001 83rd Avenue, which encompasses three former public housing buildings and a pasta factory parcel. The site is suspected to have heavy metalsm acetone and petroleum hydrocarbons contamination from its use over the years as an auto repair shop, trucking service station, auto storage and salvage yard, and methamphetamine lab.

* The city of Emeryville was awarded two grants totaling $400,000. The city will assess contamination and work with the community in redeveloping the AC Transit Site. The city will also develop plans for and clean up soil and groundwater contamination at the former Ambassador Laundry Site. The recent removal of an underground sump and concrete underground storage tank revealed petroleum hydrocarbon contamination.

* The Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency received two grants totaling $400,000 to clean up the Sakai Nursery on S. 47th Street and Florida Avenue, and the Endo Nursery on Wall Avenue. The former flower nurseries are contaminated from pesticides and petroleum hydrocarbons. Both nurseries also have underground storage tanks on their properties.

* Menlo Park received $200,000 to clean up degraded diesel-contaminated soil and groundwater at the Terminal Avenue Housing Site. Funds will be used to prepare cleanup plans, remove contaminated soil, treat and dispose of groundwater that may enter excavation areas, and backfill the area with clean soil.

Southern California grants include:

* Los Angeles Conservation Corps received a $200,000 for hazardous substances cleanup grant which will be used to clean up the parking lot of the Clean and Green Center for Environmental Education and Training at 1400-1410 N. Spring Street, formerly a used metal foundry, machine shop, and truck garage. Grant funds also will be used to develop a cleanup plan, and implement public involvement activities.

* City of Los Angeles received a $200,000 hazardous substances assessment grant which will fund Phase I and II environmental site assessments in the Washington Boulevard Corridor of South Los Angeles. Funds will also be used for community involvement activities.

* Miller Children’s Hospital, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center received a $200,000 hazardous substances grant and a $400,000 petroleum which will be used to clean up MCH Inpatient Tower Hazardous Materials Cleanup Site I, at 2801 Atlantic Avenue, a former debris dumping ground for oil industry waste and MCH Inpatient Tower Petroleum Cleanup Sites II and III, at 2801 Atlantic Avenue, which contain six abandoned oil wells and were used as debris dumping grounds for oil industry waste materials and closed landfills. Funds also will be used for community planning and outreach. When the sites are cleaned up, they will be the location of the hospital’s expanded facilities.

* City of Orange received a $200,000 for hazardous substance brownfields cleanup grant which will be used to clean up the Grijalva Park at Santiago Creek site at 368 North Prospect Ave. The parcel was formerly occupied by an asphalt plant and a gravel pit that was subsequently filled with construction debris.

* The Riverside Redevelopment Agency, received a $200,000 for petroleum assessment grant which will be used to perform Phase I and II environmental site assessments in the southern portion of the downtown Redevelopment Project Area. Funds also will be used for community outreach activities.

* The City of North Folk received a $200,000 hazardous substances grant will be used by the Community Development Council to clean up the 135-acre North Fork Mill site located at 57839 Road 225. The site was a lumber mill for 50 years, and is contaminated with PCB’s, dioxin, and petroleum hydrocarbons. Grant funds will also be used to develop cleanup plans, and conduct community involvement activities.

* The Visalia Redevelopment Agency received a $236,000 hazardous substances grant which will be used to clean up contamination at the NE and the NW Burke Street/Oak Avenue sites at Burke Street and Oak Avenue. Union Pacific Railroad had leased the sites for decades to businesses that included two rail spurs and storage facilities. Once the sites are cleaned up, they will be part of a government and business office center;

* The City of Visalia received a $200,000 hazardous substances grant, and a $200,000 petroleum assessment grant which will be used to perform environmental site assessment throughout the community and outreach with the Citizens Advisory Committee and the Downtown Visalians. The petroleum grant will be used to perform environmental site assessment at sites with petroleum contamination.

Nevada grant:

* The North Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency received $200,000 to inventory and prioritize sites within the Downtown Redevelopment Area and the North Redevelopment Area. Assessment of brownfields properties will help the city advance the redevelopment process to rehabilitate properties, and stimulate business and development in the two target areas.

Arizona grants include:

* The city of Flagstaff will use $200,000 of petroleum grant funds to inventory sites in the Route 66 Central Corridor, perform environmental site assessments, develop a comprehensive redevelopment plan, and conduct community outreach.

* Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community was awarded two grants totaling $550,000. The tribe will use a $350,000 hazardous substances grant to perform environmental site assessments, conduct community outreach activities, and develop a cleanup strategy for the 160-acre feedlot site located at the north-central portion of the community. They will also use a $200,000 hazardous substance grant to conduct community outreach activities and implement cleanup of the feedlot site. The soil at the site is contaminated with nitrates and pesticides and the groundwater is contaminated with nitrates as a result of 27 years of feedlot operations at the now vacant property. In addition, there are other potentially hazardous substances at the site related to illegal dumping.

* Santa Cruz County received a hazardous substance and a petroleum grant totaling $400,000. The county will use the funds to perform environmental site assessments.

Hawaii and Pacific Island grants include:

* Hawaii: City and County of Honolulu received two $200,000 grants to conduct assessments for hazardous substances and petroleum contamination. The funds will also be used to inventory potential brownfields sites; perform environmental site assessments; produce clean up and redevelopments plans; and do community outreach and involvement activities.

* Guam: Guam EPA received $400,000 in two grants to conduct assessments for hazardous substances and petroleum contamination and to inventory potential brownfields sites; perform environmental site assessments; establish and use initiatives and controls; and do community outreach and involvement activities.

* Guam: Guam International Airport Authority received $600,000 in three brownfields cleanup grants. The funds will be used to clean up the 5.27-acre former Aircraft Graveyard, the former Ground Support Equipment Maintenance Facility, and the Interceptor Drainage site, all on Neptune Avenue.

* Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands: Marianas Public Lands Authority received a $350,000 and a $200,000 grant to conduct assessments for hazardous substances and petroleum contamination. The funds will also be used to inventory brownfields sites with potential petroleum contamination around the CNMI; perform environmental site assessments; produce clean up and redevelopment plans for the 153 acre Marpi Village Homestead site; and do community outreach and involvement activities.


Specific information on the individual grant recipients can be found on the fact sheets or at https://www.epa.gov/brownfields.

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