Technical Assistance Needs Assessments (TANAs)
The Technical Assistance Needs Assessment (TANA) is a site-specific process that identifies whether a community requires additional support from EPA to understand technical information and to enable meaningful community involvement in the Superfund decision-making process. Through discussions with community members, EPA identifies how the community is receiving site-related information; what types of information are being received; whether the community needs additional assistance; what types of assistance would benefit the community; and whether there are local organizations interested or involved in site-related issues and capable of acting as an appropriate conduit for technical assistance services. The TANA process produces a blueprint for a coordinated effort to meet a community’s needs for additional technical assistance while minimizing the overlap of services provided by EPA site staff, external partners, and EPA grants and contracts.
TANAs in Communities
- TANA Site List
- TANA Example: Oronogo-Duenweg Mining Belt Superfund Site
- TANA Example: Hercules, Inc. Superfund Site
- TANA Example: St. Louis Airport and Coldwater Creek
TANA Site List
TANAs have been conducted at the following sites:
(last update: June 2026)
- Acme Steel Coke Plant (Chicago, Illinois)
- Aerojet General Corp. (Rancho Cordova, California)
- Albany, Georgia Tools for Change CARE project (Albany, Georgia)
- AMCO Chemical (Oakland, California)
- American Cyanamid (Bridgewater Township, New Jersey)
- Anaconda Aluminum Co Columbia Falls Reduction Plant (Columbia Falls, Montana)
- Ashland/Northern States Power Lakefront Superfund (Ashland, Wisconsin)
- Bandera Road Groundwater Plume (Leon Valley, Texas)
- Bear Creek Sediments (Sparrows Point, Maryland)
- Black Butte Mine (Cottage Grove, Oregon)
- Bofors Nobel, Inc. (Egelston Township, Michigan)
- BoRit Asbestos Tailings Pile (Ambler, Pennsylvania)
- Brown & Bryant, Inc. (Arvin Plant) (Arvin, California)
- Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical site (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho)
- Chevron Questa Mine (Questa, New Mexico)
- Colorado Smelter (Pueblo, Colorado)
- Copper Bluff Mine & Celtor Chemical Works (Hoopa, California)
- Cove Transfer Stations (Navajo Nation)
- Eagle Picher Carefree Battery (Socorro, New Mexico)
- Ellsworth Air Force Base (Ellsworth AFB, SD)
- Jacksonville Showcase Community project (Jacksonville, Florida)
- Findett Corp. (St. Charles, Missouri)
- Former Toastmaster Superfund Site (Macon, Missouri)
- Formosa Mine (Douglas County, Oregon)
- Fort Ord (Monterey, California)
- Hercules Inc. (Hattiesburg, Mississippi)
- Homestake Mining (Grants, New Mexico)
- Hoosick Falls (Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics) (Hoosick Falls, New York)
- Hunters Point Naval Shipyard/Yosemite Slough (San Francisco, California)
- Kettleman Hills Waste Management Facility (Kettleman City, California)
- Koppers Tie Plant Facility (Tie Plant, Mississippi)
- Lincoln Park (Cañon City, Colorado)
- Midnite Mine (Wellpinit, Washington)
- Motorola 52nd Street (Phoenix, Arizona)
- Oronogo-Duenweg Mining Belt (Joplin, Missouri)
- Pacific Coast Pipeline (Fillmore, California)
- Phoenix Goodyear Airport Area (Goodyear, Arizona)
- Rockets, Fireworks and Flares (Rialto, California)
- San Gabriel Valley (Area 1) (Los Angeles County, California)
- San Gabriel Valley (Area 2) (Baldwin Park, California)
- San Gabriel Valley (Area 3) (Alhambra, California)
- San Gabriel Valley (Area 4) (La Puente, California)
- Selma Pressure Treating Company (Selma, California)
- Shell Bluff/Burke County area (Burke County, Georgia)
- Solutia W.R. Krummrich Plant (East St. Louis, Cahokia and Sauget, Illinois)
- South Atlanta for the Environment (SAFE) CARE project (Atlanta, Georgia)
- St. Louis Airport/Hazelwood Interim Storage/Futura Coatings Co. (St. Louis, Missouri)
- Stringfellow (Jurupa Valley, California)
- ROMIC Environmental Technologies (East Palo Alto, California)
- Tar Creek (Ottawa County) (Miami/Picher/Surroundings Ottawa County, Oklahoma)
- Tucson International Airport Area (Tucson, Arizona)
- United Heckathorn (Richmond, California)
- Upper Columbia River (Kettle Falls, Washington)
- Valleycrest, Valley Pike, Behr Dayton (Dayton and Riverside, Ohio)
- Walter Coke, Inc. Facility (North Birmingham, Alabama)
- Western Abandoned Uranium Mine Region (Navajo Nation)
- Westside Lead (Atlanta, Georgia)
- West Lake Landfill (Bridgeton, Missouri)
- Willow Grove Naval Air and Air Reserve Station (Horsham, Pennsylvania)
TANA Example: Oronogo-Duenweg Mining Belt Superfund Site (Jasper County, Missouri)
The Oronogo-Duenweg Mining Belt (ODMB) Superfund site addresses an ongoing residential lead cleanup in Jasper County, Missouri. EPA and specialists from the Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) program led multiple community meetings and heard from over 40 community members impacted by the site, also sharing site updates as they became available regarding the site's expanding boundary. In partnership with Jasper County Health Department, several EPA events also offered free blood-lead testing. As a result of the TANA process, EPA met with local organizations and stakeholders to broaden their communication network. EPA also set up a booth at Joplin Third Thursdays, a community street fair, to share information about the site, lead awareness and cleanup progress with the community. EPA plans to maintain consistent communication with the stakeholder network and continue to improve the community's awareness of lead in their environment and tips for preventing exposure throughout the cleanup process.
TANA Example: Hercules Inc. Superfund Site (Hattiesburg, Mississippi)
At the Hercules Inc. site in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, EPA requested specialists from the Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) program to conduct a TANA. Dozens of community members and stakeholders affected by the former chemical manufacturing facility participated in introductory TANA meetings and in-person, virtual and phone conversations to share their concerns and needs with EPA. Interview outreach was also conducted in Spanish, including sharing information about the site at local businesses and with leaders in the Spanish-speaking community. EPA and TASC learned that there was interest in more information and a request for site materials to be translated to keep the community informed. During TANA prioritization meetings, community attendees filled out surveys and voted on their top priority recommendations. As a result of the TANA, EPA hosted a Superfund workshop for the community and is conducting outreach to nearby Spanish-speaking communities with translated site materials.
TANA Example: St. Louis Airport Site and Coldwater Creek (SLAPS)
In response to community concerns about contaminant exposure and the closure of a local elementary school, EPA requested a TANA for the communities surrounding the St. Louis Airport Site and Coldwater Creek in St. Louis, Missouri. Specialists from the Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) program conducted the assessment to identify the community's technical assistance needs related to the ongoing cleanup, which is led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Because the community has been actively engaged and interested in the cleanup process, TASC began the TANA by holding preliminary discussions with leaders of local community groups. These conversations helped identify the most effective outreach strategies, including how to publicize the assessment, where and when to hold the kickoff meeting, and which stakeholders should be involved. The TANA found strong community interest in gaining a better understanding of site-related technical information, the Superfund process, and the benefits of forming a Technical Community Advisory Group (TCAG). Based on TANA recommendations, EPA supported the establishment of a TCAG. Since then, TASC technical advisors have worked closely with the group by reviewing technical documents, attending meetings, and providing presentations to explain the Superfund process and document findings and to answer community questions.