Newsroom
Superfund Redevelopment in the News Photographs
Construction of the Stringer Welding facility underway at the Stimson Lumber site.
(Source: Creative Images)
"Excellence in Site Reuse" ceremony at the Woolfolk Chemical site.
Announcements and Press Releases
Press Release for 2007 RTU Demonstration Projects
Press Release for 2006 RTU Demonstration Projects
Previous News
- Information on the SRI 10 Year Anniversary
- The LCP Chemicals Operable Unit 3 Quadrant 1 Ready for Reuse (RfR) Determination (PDF) (15 pp, 3.3MB, About PDF) is the first of its kind in the country. Signed on March 22, 2012 the RfR Determination affirms that the specific portion of this Site is ready for a range of uses, including a possible detention facility that Glynn County, Georgia, would like to build. EPA Region 4 wrote the RfR Determination before signing the Record of Decision and used a baseline risk assessment to show portions of the Site are safe for reuse.
- New site case study video for MacGillis & Gibbs.
Extensive redevelopment of the MacGillis & Gibbs Co./Bell Lumber & Pole Co. site in New Brighton, Minnesota has turned a once blighted property into one of the leading examples of mixed-use Superfund redevelopment in the nation. This video shares the story of this remarkable transformation. - Cleanup and redevelopment of the Benfield Industries, Inc. Superfund site has provided many new opportunities for the Hazelwood community in Waynesville, North Carolina. Once a contaminated eyesore, the cleaned up site is now home to Haywood Vocational Opportunities (HVO), a local business operating a non-profit medical manufacturing facility and a vocational training center. HVO is providing much-needed jobs and training services for the broader community, as well as valued green space for recreational use. This site’s compelling story illustrates how communities and EPA can work together to sustain healthy communities, advance environmental protection and generate significant local economic impacts.
- In December of 2011, Pollution Engineering showcased the Former Spellman Engineering site as an example where "cleanup and reuse were seamlessly integrated." According to Warren Hudson, the President of the Lake Highland Preparatory School, "It’s a win-win for everyone. The environment gets cleaned up, the neighbors don’t have a Superfund site, we have a beautiful sports complex for our teams, and part of the land is put back on the tax rolls." Innovative cleanup – the ground water treatment system was buried underground, optimizing the area for reuse – has enabled the protection of human health and the environment and redevelopment success.
- On March 21, 2012, SRI hosted a webinar exploring the reuse of Superfund sites from the perspective of mayors. Two mayors, from Midvale, Utah, and Fort Valley, Georgia, shared how they have worked to bring about the reuse of Superfund properties in a way that is now positively contributing to the fabric of their communities. They shared the challenges they faced and the lessons they learned through their experiences. The training also provided an overview of tools and resources that SRI can provide to communities looking to similarly transform Superfund sites. An archive version of the webinar is available on the Clu-In website.
- Continuing a program that began in 2004, EPA uses the Return to Use Initiative to address real or perceived barriers to the appropriate and beneficial reuse of cleaned up Superfund sites. Demonstration project fact sheets highlighting sites across the country share the tools, successes and lessons learned in addressing barriers and working to return these sites to use. Over the next several months, EPA will share new demonstration projects highlighting efforts to overcome barriers including stigma, liability concerns, lack of clarity about appropriate land uses and concern over redevelopment during ongoing remediation.
- EPA Identifies 65 New Sites as Meeting the Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use Measure
In FY 2011, EPA identified 65 new sites that met this measure, bringing the national total to 540. This measure shows progress the Agency is making in cleaning up sites so that they are ready for their anticipated use and reflects the commitment the Agency has made to supporting the reuse of sites. - On January 25, 2012, SRI hosted a webinar sharing the successful reuse of Superfund sites as soccer fields at sites across the country. Presenters shared site-specific examples of Superfund site redevelopment into soccer fields in Georgia, Illinois and Virginia. In addition, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, which has supported several of these Superfund site transformations, shared information about the resources available to communities interested in developing soccer fields. The training also offered an overview of tools and resources that SRI can provide help communities understand whether a soccer field would be an appropriate option for their Superfund site. A recorded copy of this webinar can be accessed on the Clu-In website.
- The City of East Helena sought to position itself for future growth and development by annexing formerly Asarco-owned lands at the East Helena Superfund site outside its city boundary. EPA funded a community planning charrette and reuse planning process to support remediation, local planning and development. The reuse planning process, started in 2010 and completed in 2011, engaged 45 representatives from the local community in developing a vision and set of revitalization strategies for East Helena. As a result, local government stakeholders, property owners, Montana Environmental Custodial Trust, EPA and its partner agencies now have a set of future land use concepts and priorities that can help shape and coordinate cleanup, planning and development across three specific focus areas: Land Use and Development; Cultural Heritage; and Habitat and Recreation.
- Chatham Steel is the latest business to join The Point, "Southern Ohio’s Premier Industrial Park," located on the South Point Plant Superfund site. The Lawrence Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) was formed in the early 1980s as part of an economic revitalization effort for the region. After assessing several economic development opportunities, LEDC identified the South Point Plant Superfund Site as an ideal property for developing an industrial park that would be centrally located on the Ohio River in close proximity to transportation networks and infrastructure. In the summer of 2011, Chatham Steel brought the number of organizations at the Site to 12, and is expected to add jobs to the area over the next several years.
News Article: Chatham Steel Cuts Ribbon on South Point Facility, Bringing 40 New Jobs
- On November 10, 2011, SRI hosted a webinar to explore recreational reuse on Superfund sites. This training featured an in-depth look at several sites from around the country that are providing recreational amenities to communities, including neighborhood parks, hiking trails, sports fields, playgrounds and open space. The training also shared the tools and resources that SRI provides to help communities interested in reusing their Superfund site get started. An archived version of the presentation is available at the Clu-In website.
- A dog park and playground will be built at the former W.R. Grace property in Wayne Township, New Jersey. The federal government gave the land to the township in 2006 after the soil was cleaned of thorium, a radioactive element that decays into lead or radon. The Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program will give the township $350,000 for the park's development. The township also has a $99,000 grant it applied for last year from the Passaic County Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust. The money was made possible by a friendship.
News Article: Late resident's estate provides dollars for a township dog park - On July 15, 2011, EPA Region 7 issued its first Ready for Reuse (RfR) Determination. The RfR Determination is for the White Farm Equipment Co. Dump Site (PDF) (26 pp, 1.1MB, About PDF) in Charles City, Iowa and states that the site is ready for a wide range of EPA-approved uses. The RfR Determination was co-signed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The site is now being leased for agricultural grazing.
- Superfund Milestone Achieved: Hipps Road Landfill Superfund Site,
Jacksonville Heights, Florida is 500th Site to Meet SWRAU Performance
Measure
EPA is committed to helping communities turn Superfund sites into valued assets. Reflecting this commitment, the Superfund program identifies and reports sites that have been successfully cleaned up and are ready for potential use. Since 2006, EPA has met its annual target for the Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use (SWRAU) measure. In April 2011, EPA reached a significant redevelopment milestone: the Hipps Road Landfill site in Jacksonville Heights, Florida was identified as the 500th Superfund site to meet the SWRAU performance measure. Waste Management, the current owner of the site, is already considering restoring the site to beneficial use as wildlife habitat. Nationally, natural areas are just one of many uses found at cleaned up Superfund sites; reuses range from public resources like libraries and parks to new office buildings and business parks that bring jobs and revenue to communities.
Looking forward, the future is bright as well. In line with EPA’s 2011-2015 Strategic Plan, the Superfund program is working to ensure that 799 sites meet the SWRAU performance measure by 2015. EPA’s work with communities nationwide is enabling the reuse and revitalization of additional sites, addressing key local needs and priorities and ensuring the protection of human health and the environment. - New Case Study and Video on Reuse at Midvale Slag
Cleaned up Superfund sites are home to leading examples of mixed-use development, bringing together commercial, residential, recreational and civic land uses to provide multiple community benefits. At the Midvale Slag site in Midvale City, Utah, EPA and the local government have coordinated an innovative cleanup and reuse project that has brought the community together with diverse organizations and partners. Outcomes from the site’s Bingham Junction development are striking: approximately 600 jobs, $1.5 million in annual property tax revenues and a $131 million increase in the value of the site property.- SRI’s 2011 case study (PDF) (18 pp, 1.9MB, About PDF) explores this complex project, sharing key lessons learned with parties interested in learning more about mixed-use redevelopment and revitalization opportunities at contaminated lands.
- SRI's new video produced by EPA’s Abandoned Mine Lands Team. The video provide compelling footage and interviews with key stakeholders involved in this remarkable project.
- Innovative Superfund Redevelopment in Oregon Wins Prestigious Phoenix Grand Prize Award at 2011 Brownfields Conference
The Reynolds Metals site in Troutdale, Oregon, the former location of the Reynolds/Alcoa aluminum smelter and subsequent Superfund site cleanup, is being redeveloped into an industrial park by the Port of Portland. The Port bought the 700-acre site property following cleanup and sold the first 78-acre parcel to FedEx Ground, which built a 447,000-square-foot regional distribution center. The center opened in October 2010 and currently supports a workforce of 800, with employment projected to increase by several hundred in coming years. The Port plans to develop an additional 280 acres of the site property for industrial uses, with the rest of the land set aside for infrastructure, open space, wetlands and a recreational trail. The Port was the recipient of the national Phoenix Grand Prize Award in 2011 for achievement of excellence in Superfund site reuse.
- Integrating the "3Rs": Remediation, Restoration and Redevelopment: The Milltown Reservoir Sediments Site and Missoula County, Montana (PDF) (14 pp, 2.3MB, About PDF)
Innovative ecological revitalization and river restoration efforts are key parts of some Superfund site cleanups. At a site in Missoula County, Montana, EPA and the local government worked with federal, state and tribal partners to develop a coordinated approach that linked remediation, restoration and redevelopment, with a protective remedy and land revitalization as overarching goals. The site’s cleanup has involved the removal of an historic, century-old dam and more than three million tons of contaminated sediments. Today, the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers flows freely for the first time in more than a century and parts of the site have been transferred to the State of Montana for a new state park. SRI’s new case study explores this innovative project, sharing key lessons learned with all parties interested in learning more about ecological revitalization and river restoration opportunities at contaminated lands. - Reuse and the Benefit to Community: Southside Sanitary Landfill (PDF) (4 pp, 255K, About PDF)
This case study explores reuse at the Southside Sanitary Landfill and the benefits to the community. In addition to continuing to operate as a municipal solid waste landfill, reuse at the 324‐acre former Superfund Site supports a variety of new land uses, including a methane gas production system that serves multiple local businesses and reduces nitrogen oxide emissions from the plant. Reuse activities at the Site also support over 53 on site local jobs. - Considering Reasonably Anticipated Future Land Use and Reducing Barriers to Reuse at EPA-lead Superfund Remedial Sites (PDF) (14 pp, 1.5MB, About PDF)
This 2010 guidance document expands on many of the principles from the 1995 Land Use Directive and provides additional guidance to EPA Regions on considering reasonably anticipated future land use when carrying out response actions under CERCLA, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA). - EPA Identifies 66 New Sites as Meeting the Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use Measure
In FY 2009, EPA identified 66 new sites that met this measure, bringing the national total to 409. This measure shows progress the Agency is making in cleaning up sites so that they are ready for their anticipated use and reflects the commitment the Agency has made to supporting the reuse of sites. - Superfund Redevelopment Video
SRI releases a video commemorating the fifth anniversary of EPA's partnership with the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). For more information about EPA's partnership with AMA... - 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.
- EPA Region 4 Excellence in Site Reuse Video
EPA honored Broward County, Florida, with the EPA Region 4 Excellence in Site Reuse award for redeveloping the former Davie Landfill Superfund site into Vista View Park. This video highlights the June 2010 awards ceremony at the former Davie Landfill Superfund site in Florida. - Eastern Michaud Flats, FMC Plant Operable Unit Ready for Reuse Determination (PDF) (29 pp, 12.8MB, About PDF)
The Ready for Reuse (RfR) Determination for the Eastern Michaud Flats, FMC Plant Operable Unit was effective October 25, 2010. It declares that designated portions of the site are ready for industrial/commercial use, subject to continued enforcement of specified restrictive covenants on the land. This RfR Determination is precedent-setting as the first issued prior to a Record of Decision being signed for that portion of the site. However, EPA Region 10 determined that the land is ready for use because the restrictive covenants implemented by the County effectively manage the risks to human health and the environment. - Green Remediation and Utility-Scale Solar Development at the Aerojet General Corporation Superfund Site in Northern California Case Study (PDF) (14 pp, 3.5MB, About PDF)
Renewable energy facilities are increasingly being sited on current and former contaminated lands nationwide. At a Superfund site near Sacramento, California, a new 40-acre solar farm with 22 arrays tracks the course of the sun, generating six megawatts of power. Installed in 2009 and 2010 to help power the site’s extensive ground water remediation program, the solar farm is the largest single-site industrial system in California and one of the largest single-site industrial installations in the United States. SRI’s new case study explores this remarkable project, sharing key lessons learned with all parties interested in learning more about renewable energy and green remediation opportunities at contaminated lands. - MacGillis & Gibbs/ Bell Lumber & Pole Company Case Study (PDF) (14 pp, 844K, About PDF)
This case study explores the key partnerships and effective tools that have led to the successful cleanup and reuse of the MacGillis & Gibbs property at this Superfund site. In particular, the case study examines the groundbreaking Prospective Purchaser Agreement that addressed the city’s liability concerns and the City of New Brighton’s innovative approach to redevelopment that enabled the site’s cleanup to move forward. The case study discusses the evolution of remediation and redevelopment efforts at the site between the city’s planning efforts and acquisition of the site property in the 1990s and ongoing reuse activities in 2010.
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H.O.D. Landfill Case Study (PDF) (16 pp, 1.2MB, About PDF)
The H.O.D. Landfill Superfund site was once a closed and fenced landfill area in the middle of Antioch, Illinois, surrounded by an industrial park, residential areas, wetlands, and Antioch Community High School. This case study describes the impetus for the site’s reuse, the history of the project, the reuse plan, and the realization of many new recreational opportunities for students and residents. The case study is intended to provide local government officials, community groups and members, site owners, potentially responsible parties, and other interested parties with lessons learned from the H.O.D. Landfill reuse experience. - 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.
- 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.
- Many Diversified Interests, Inc. (MDI) Case Study (PDF) (12 pp, 3.1MB, About PDF)
This case study highlights 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. - 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... - 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.
Recent Additions
EPA Releases Final Guidance outlining how the Superfund and Federal facilities programs will document and report performance in achieving Land RevitalizationNewsroom Archive
For a selection of archived items click here.