EPA ASSESSMENT GRANT PROGRAM
Ottawa County, Ohio
Presented by:
Daniel R. Cassidy, CPG - SME
Ann M. Winegar, PG - SME
Karla Auker, PG – USEPA
Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc.
Bay City Cincinnati  Cleveland Grand Rapids  Indianapolis
Kalamazoo  Lansing  Plymouth  Shelby Twp Traverse City  Toledo
Consultants in Geosciences, Materials and Environment
OVERVIEW
 What Are Brownfields
 EPA Assessment Grant
WHAT ARE BROWNFIELDS
BROWNFIELDS
Contaminated
BROWNFIELDS – CONTAMINATED SITES
Brownfield Site (EPA)
The term “brownfield site” means
real property, the expansion,
redevelopment, or reuse of which
may be complicated by the presence
or potential presence of a hazardous
substance, pollutant, or
contaminant.
BROWNFIELDS
 Manufacturing
plants
 Gas stations
 Tool and die shops
 Machine shops
 Marinas
 Greenhouses
 Agricultural suppliers
 Municipal dumps
 Steel fabricators
 Municipal public works
yards
 Dry cleaners
 Asphalt plants
 Printing shops
 Former coal yards
 Paint shops
 Manufactured gas
plant sites
 Auto repair shops
 Oil/fuel terminals
 Farms
 Scrap yards
 Blacksmith shops
 Shooting ranges
WHAT CREATED BROWNFIELDS
 Closed industrial and commercial
facilities
 Economics
 Population changes
 City development and planning changes
 Unintended consequences of federal and
state environmental regulations
 Liability for contamination
 Stringent cleanup requirements
 Relative costs of development – old urban
sites vs. new suburban land
WHY REDEVELOP BROWNFIELDS
 Reuse existing infrastructure
 Increase tax base
 Attract new employees and residents
 Control hazards
 Environmental contamination
 Dangerous buildings
 Other site hazards
 Sustainable development
 Revitalize urban core areas
 Reduce sprawl pressures
BROWNFIELD ISSUES
 Environmental liability and cleanup
 Demolition (internal, structure)
 Site conditions
 Environmental - residual impact, engineering
controls, institutional controls
 Buildability - soil conditions, subsurface
infrastructure, infrastructure modifications
 Matching a development/developer and
site
EPA SITE ASSESSMENT GRANT
SITE ASSESSMENT GRANT
 Grants provided to tribes, states, local units of
government, regional councils, and redevelopment
agencies
 Grant levels (individual communities)
 Up to $200,000 for hazardous substances sites
 Up to $200,000 for petroleum sites
 Grant levels (coalitions)
 Up to $1,000,000 for sites
 Any ratio for hazardous substances and petroleum
sites
 Three-year performance period
 CERCLA performance criteria
SITE ELIGIBILITY
 Hazardous Substances
 Grantee cannot be a liable party (e.g. owner,
operator, arranger, …) for site contamination
 Other owner, developer, etc. can be a liable party
 Petroleum
 Grantee cannot be a liable party
 Neither the developer NOR immediately preceding
owner can be a liable party
 Site cannot be a state “priority site” for cleanup
ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES
 Community outreach
 Grant “marketing”
 Community involvement in site selection and funds
use
 Brownfields inventory
 Environmental Assessments
 Due diligence (property acquisition – seller or buyer)
» Phase I site assessment
» Phase II site assessment
» Hazardous Materials Assessments (asbestos, lead paint)
 Remedial investigation
ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES (cont.)
 Cleanup planning
 Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives
(ABCA)
 Developing Remedial Action Plan or Interim
Response Plan under the Ohio EPA Voluntary
Action Program (VAP) or Ohio Bureau of
Underground Storage Tank Regulations (BUSTR)
Ohio EPA Voluntary Action Program
 Created by the Ohio legislature to give
entities a way to investigate possible
environmental contamination, clean it up if
necessary, and receive a promise from the
State of Ohio that no more cleanup is
needed (Covenant Not to Sue).
Ohio BUSTR Program
 Regulates Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) in
Ohio
 Oversees response, assessment, and cleanup at
sites where releases from UST systems have
occurred.
 Issues “No Further Action” (NFA) letter when
corrective action or cleanup at these sites meets
their standards.
OTTAWA COUNTY BROWNFIELD
PROGRAM
Ottawa County’s Grant Funding
 FY 2009 - $200,000 Assessment Grant –
Hazardous Substances (Closed)
 FY 2012 - $200,000 Assessment Grant –
Hazardous Substances
 FY 2012 - $200,000 Assessment Grant –
Petroleum
FY 2009 Assessment Grant Summary
 Lake Erie Business Park
 Conducted hazardous materials assessments on 8
former army depot structures to prepare them for
demo/rehab.
 Conducted Phase II on an approximately 70-acre
parcel in the south portion of the business park to
help market the site and support environmental
liability management for a prospective purchaser.
FY 2009 Assessment Grant (continued)
Port Clinton Marina & Port Clinton
Waterworks
Conducted Phase I and Phase II of the
Waterworks property and Phase II of the
Marina property to prepare sites for
redevelopment of Port Clinton’s waterfront
area.
Ross Abbott Property
Conducted Phase I and Phase II of
this former machine shop/auto
repair facility in Genoa to determine
liability management requirements
for prospective purchaser. Site is
currently in process of changing
ownership and being re-utilized.
FY 2009 Assessment Grant (continued)
Transmissions Unlimited
Phase II of this auto repair facility to aid in
marketability of the site for redevelopment
and to determine liability management
requirements for prospective purchaser.
214 East Main Street
Asbestos Hazard Assessment
of vacant residential structure.
The structure was demolished
and the property was converted
to green space for public use.
The Process
1. Complete site
application
(available on
Ottawa County
website) and
submit to Regional
Planning
Commission.
The Process (continued)
2. County Assessment Grant Board reviews
application and votes on whether to approve the
site for use of grant funds.
3. If a site is approved by the Board, SME
completes an eligibility form for the site and
submits it for review to:
»
»
USEPA - if site assessment is going to be funded by the Hazardous
Substances grant.
BUSTR - if contamination or suspected contamination is petroleum
products and the site assessment is going to be funded by the
Petroleum grant.
The Process (continued)
4. If USEPA or BUSTR confirm the site eligibility
determination, Phase I site assessment can
proceed.
5. If a Phase II assessment is planned, SME
prepares a Sample and Analysis Plan (SAP) and
Health and Safety Plan (HASP). The SAP must be
approved by the USEPA before field work can
begin.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
 Help identify eligible brownfield sites
 Tell others in the community about this
program
 Tell interested sellers and developers
about this program
 Send interested sellers and developers
to get more information
EPA ASSESSMENT GRANT PROGRAM
Ottawa County, Ohio
Daniel R. Cassidy, CPG - SME
Ann M. Winegar, PG - SME
Karla Auker, PG – USEPA
Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc.
Bay City Cincinnati  Cleveland Grand Rapids  Indianapolis
Kalamazoo  Lansing  Plymouth  Shelby Twp Traverse City  Toledo
Consultants in Geosciences, Materials and Environment