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Three agencies turaed over some “green” for local brownfields projects in Kitsap and Mason counties just recently.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Program enables states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic development to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and reuse brownfields by providing federal dollars through competitive grant programs.
A Brownfield site is 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. On Jan. 11, 2002, the President signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.
The Pacific Northwest Salmon Center (PNWSC) was selected for an environmental assessment of $150,000 through EPA’s Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) program earlier this year. EPA has just selected the PNWSC for a $123,200 Brownfields Cleanup grant to clean up petroleum-contaminated soil at three parcels of its 10.7-acre redevelopment property in Belfair, which has been used for a gas station, automotive maintenance and repair facilities, and a welding operation. The cleanup is part of redevelopment plans for a 25-acre Pacific Northwest Salmon Center.
A Phase 1 Environmental Assessment was completed by the engineering firm of Krazan & Associates in December of 2003. The purpose of the TBA was to further evaluate known and potential areas of concern. A “START 2 Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team 2” from the U.S. EPA entitled “Targeted Brownfields Assessment Sampling and Quality Assurance Plan” was completed last month by URS Operating Services, Inc. in association with Tetra Tech EM, URS, LT Environmental, TN & Associates, and TechLaw, Inc.
Fishing and timber had been the predominant industries in Belfair (Population: 5,600), near the mouth of Hood Canal. In recent years, the region has suffered from the closure of many timber-related industries; a loss of critical habitat for Chum and Chinook salmon, both threatened species; scarce job opportunities; and a shift to more seasonal employment.
This redevelopment project integrates well with overall strategic plans for a vibrant, urban center with rural character that celebrates the natural qualities of the Belfair area. Cleanup and redevelopment will spur mixed-use, environmentally friendly economic opportunities for employment and tourism, and help revitalize Belfair’s distressed economy, with the new salmon center expected to draw 500,000 visitors annually.
The Kitsap Consolidated Housing Authority (KCCHA) will receive a $54,205 Brownfields Assessment grant for hazardous substances at the Mitchell Avenue property in Port Orchard. Grant funds will allow the KCCHA to conduct community involvement activities, and analyze potential diesel/oil, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, chrome, and lead contamination at a former garage owned by the City of Port Orchard. Subsequent cleanup of the former garage at the old city fire department will facilitate the housing authority’s plans to construct a 42-unit retirement complex, including recreational and greenspace.
“We have reason to believe that the site is contaminated with tar and petroleum products,” said KCCHA Development Director Julie Graves. “Using the federal Brownfields program will enable us to complete an environmental assessment of the site.”
Concerns were raised over previous storage and heating of oil and tar in the area surrounding the garage and reported seepage of tar-like material from the soil up through the asphalt pavement, and sediment in the soil resulting from on-site cleaning of street-sweeping equipment. These activities have the potential to result in the presence of petroleum, PCBs and metals in the soils.
The City of Port Orchard cleaned up an adjacent site so that KCCHA could begin construction of a 42-unit affordable retirement complex. That site cleanup included removal of soil contaminated from an underground storage tank (UST), and one Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) of petroleum and oil origin. The City of Port Orchard asked KCCHA in 1997 to build the complex there in response to a shortage of housing for seniors within the city.
This funding will allow the KCCHA to perform assessments with potential petroleum-only contamination and known or suspected hazardous waste. Site assessment activities will be sub-contracted to their environmental contractors working with Washington State Department of Ecology’s Voluntary Toxic Clean-up program.
Kitsap County was selected to receive brownfields assessment grants and two cleanup grants.
The County will receive a $50,000 Brownfields Assessment grant for hazardous substances and $150,000 for petroleum contamination. Grant funds will be used to conduct site assessments, remediation and reuse planning, community involvement activities at parcels along Charleston Beach Road in Navy Yard City and also to inventory and prioritize leaking underground storage tank (LUST) sites county-wide, perform up to 10 Phase I and up to five Phase II site assessments, prepare redevelopment plans for up to two sites.
The $400,000 Brownfields Cleanup grants will be used to perform environmental clean up of the Evergreen Auto Wrecking Yard and the former Port Orchard Sand and Gravel Batch Plant along state Highway 3 in Gorst.
Assessment and cleanup of these sites, typically located adjacent to marine, estuarine, and riparian environments, will help the county to address potentially severe ecological impacts and improve the aesthetic and economic health of existing commercial areas, generate new buildable land and create access points, enhancing redevelopment prospects.
Joanne LaBaw is EPA’s project manager for both of the Pacific Northwest Salmon Center projects as well as the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s environmental cleanup in Sequim Bay. Her contact number is (206) 553-2594 or email: labaw.joanne@epa.gov at U.S. EPA Region X office. For further information, including other specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/brownfields. The EPA Region 10 Brownfields Team (206) 553-2100 at www.epa.gov/r10earth, click on “Superfund,”scroll down to “Related Programs” and click on “Brownfields”. | 
