Brownfields Supplemental Assistance

PILOT SNAPSHOT	Date of Announcement: May 2002 Amount: $150,000 Target Area: Naco Fire District, Arizona
Profile: The Pilot targets three potentially contaminated sites in east Naco that are needed for a school, border crossing, and shops in a community with high unemployment.

BACKGROUND

EPA awarded the Naco Fire District supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. Naco is located on the Mexican border and is an unincorporated town of about 750 people, 90 percent of whom are Hispanic. The unemployment rate is more than triple that of the surrounding county. Historically, Naco was a cattle processing center. Although cattle dipping occurred on the Mexican side of the border, a suspected source of environmental concern is the pesticide residues from cattle operations on the U.S. side. Another likely source of pollution has been the frequent flooding of household and industrial waste from a defective waste treatment plant across the border. The perception of a disproportionately high burden of potential environmental hazards has reduced Naco's quality of life relative to other border communities.

The original Pilot completed Phase I and II environmental assessments on a 2.5-acre parcel of an agribusiness site and an adjoining property contaminated by flood waters and an abandoned cattle processing area. Supplemental funds will be used to define possible environmental contamination and conduct cleanup planning at the site of Naco's new middle school that may have copper mine tailings on site, a new business area that will be near a new railroad and pedestrian border crossing that is downgrade of former cattle operations, and a truck stop on the northern edge of the original Pilot site. With international assistance, Mexico has built a modern industrial wastewater treatment facility that should prevent future spills on the U.S. side of the border.

OBJECTIVES

The supplemental assistance will be used to assess environmental conditions at three sites designated for reuse as public facilities, including a school, new border crossing facility for foot traffic, shops and transportation service facilities, and expanded recreational areas. The Pilot areas are near or adjacent to the original Pilot site in east Naco. Involvement of community and citizens groups, county authorities, and Arizona State University are expected to continue through the supplemental grant period.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:

• Conducting Phase I and II environmental assessments at three potentially contaminated sites in east Naco; and
• Conducting public outreach and involvement to ensure participation in the cleanup and redevelopment process.

The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.

CONTACTS

Naco Fire District
(520) 432-7040

Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA Region 9
(415) 972-3270

Visit the EPA Region 9 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/brown/index.html

For further information, including specific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields