Superfund Redevelopment

Superfund Redevelopment Celebrates Its 10-Year Anniversary

In July 2009, EPA celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative, and the work done to help communities across the country reclaim Superfund sites and bring down the barriers that have kept many of them vacant and underutilized for decades. As part of this 10th Anniversary milestone, SRI is highlighting reuse stories from around the country on its website over the course of 2009.

More Information on the SRI 10 Year Anniversary

10-Year Anniversary Site Reuse Spotlight

Redevelopment of the Orongo-Duenweg Site (PDF) (1 pg, 106K, About PDF)

The Oronogo-Duenweg Mining Belt Superfund site in Joplin, Missouri, is the new home of a scrap metal recycling facility, numerous residential sub-divisions, and a new highway bypass that is attracting further development. EPA, the State of Missouri, and the local community worked together to facilitate the mixed reuse of this former mining site.

About Superfund Redevelopment

Superfund Redevelopment at EPA helps communities return some of the nation's worst hazardous waste sites to safe and productive uses. In addition to cleaning up these Superfund sites and making them protective of human health and the environment, the Agency is working with communities and other partners in considering future use opportunities and integrating appropriate reuse options into the cleanup process. The Agency is also working with communities at sites that have already been cleaned up to ensure long-term stewardship of site remedies and to promote reuse. More about the program...

Return to Use

SRI announces its 2009 Return to Use demonstration projects! This year 16 sites from across the Regions are highlighted as part of SRI's efforts to share lessons learned from sites that are overcoming their barriers to reuse and returning to beneficial use, including employing green remediation strategies and alternatives energy reuses. In addition, updates were made to demonstration projects from previous years. More about the Return to Use demonstration projects...

Superfund Redevelopment in the News

Site-Specific News

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  Construction of the Stringer Welding facility underway at the Stimson Lumber site.

  On July 27, 2009, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, the Kootenai Business Park Industrial District, and the Lincoln County Commissioners broke ground for the new Stringer Welding manufacturing plant in Libby, Montana. The plant is being developed at the Stimson Lumber Mill site, which is part of the Libby Asbestos Superfund site. Stinger Welding, an Arizona-based bridge and expansion joint fabricator, received more than $5.7 million in Montana Department of Commerce funds and plans to build a 104,800 square foot manufacturing facility that will employ over 200 people at the site. More information on the Stimson event.
• Many Diversified Interests, Inc. (MDI) Case Study (PDF) (12 pp, 3.1MB, About PDF)
  This case study hightlights activities at the MDI Superfund site in Houston, Texas. An innovative approach – the first-ever agreement between EPA and a non-liable party for the cleanup of a Superfund site – has led to the 36-acre site's cleanup and a planned residential development with hundreds of homes.
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  (Source: Creative Images)
  "Excellence in Site Reuse" ceremony at the Woolfolk Chemical site.

  On July 9, over sixty Woolfolk Chemical stakeholders-organizations and individuals- were presented with Region 4 ’s “Excellence in Site Reuse” award at a ceremony in Fort Valley, Georgia. Their dedicated efforts over the past twelve years have ensured that the site’s cleanup would allow for future use. Today, the Thomas Public Library and Troutman House – a new community welcome center – grace a cleaned up portion of the site. Additional reuse plans are underway. The award was given on the national Superfund Redevelopment Initiative’s 10th Anniversary.
  • More information on the Woolfolk event
  • See a video on reuse activities at the Woolfolk site
  • See local media coverage of the event
    
• Solitron Microwave Superfund Site
  In December 2008, EPA Region 4 presented the Port Salerno Industrial Park (PSIP) in Port Salerno, Florida with an "Excellence in Site Reuse" award. PSIP received the award for developing the Solitron Microwave Superfund Site in a manner which has enhanced EPA's cleanup approach at the site and resulted in the revitalization of the property and the surrounding community. The reuse of the 20-acre Solitron Microwave Superfund site is also providing an opportunity to transform a stigmatized, long-vacant piece of property into a valued community asset. More Information...

Program Related News

• New Superfund Redevelopment Videos
  Superfund Redevelopment has finalized two new videos that highlight how partnerships and collaborative efforts at Superfund sites can positively impact local communities and help with long term site stewardship.
• New Superfund Ecological Reuse Report - Ecological Revitalization: Turning Contaminated Properties Into Community Assets (PDF) (83pp, 8MB, About PDF)
  EPA's Technology Innovation Program has developed a document that provides technical information to assist property managers and other stakeholders better understand and coordinate considerations for ecological revitalization. The document summarizes technical considerations for implementing ecological revitalization of wetlands, streams, and terrestrial ecosystems during cleanup and highlights EPA initiatives and resources that are available.
  Clu-In provides additional resources on ecological reuse.
• New Superfund Reuse Economics Report - "Challenges in Applying Property Value Studies to Assess the Benefits of the Superfund Program"
  The Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation released a report in January 2009 that discusses the theory and applicability of hedonic price valuation, and reviews the challenges that exist when using available property value studies to assess the benefits of Superfund site cleanup activities. Learn more about insights into the effects of NPL sites on property values.