Brownfields Assessments Project

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a brownfield is defined as a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, controlled substances, petroleum or petroleum products, or is mine-scarred land.

The impacts of brownfields can extend beyond the boundaries of the property to affect the surrounding community and environment. Left in their current state, these properties can:

• Harm human health and the environment
• Become eyesores and contribute to blight
• Limit economic growth and development
• Reduce employment opportunities and tax revenue
• Reduce surrounding property values
• Contribute to neighborhood crime

People often think of contaminated properties as large factories in big cities, but most sites are small properties such as former gas stations, repair shops, and dry cleaners. In smaller communities the impact of these sites can be disproportionately large.

There are two main categories of contamination: hazardous substances and petroleum:

• Hazardous substances tend to include heavy metals (such as lead), chemicals used by the historic owner (such as those used for dry cleaning, wood treating, mechanical repair, etc.), and asbestos in old structures.
• Petroleum is often found around old automotive shops and gas stations that have or had underground storage tanks, fueling operations, and used petroleum products for operations.

There are essentially three ways to clean up a property:

• Dig & Haul: Dig out contaminated soil and haul it away
• Treat in Place: Use technologies, such as injection of chemicals to break down the contamination, that can treat the soil or groundwater in the ground
• Engineering Controls: Measures that bound contamination so that it is contained in place. An example of engineered controls includes placing a layer of clean material over contaminated soils to limit contact with contamination.
  • These options vary in price and the extent to which the contamination is fully removed. It is rare that every inch of contaminated soil must be removed from a property. What cleanup really does is break the pathways of exposure. This means figuring out how humans and the environment could be exposed to contamination (i.e. through breathing in vapors, coming into contact with soil, or drinking the water) and putting in barriers to keep that from happening, such as vapor barriers, soil caps, and water treatment.
  • The extent to which contaminated soil or groundwater needs to be removed depends on how the affected property will be used. If the site is going to be used for new offices, the office building and parking lot can act as a cap that prevents contact with the subsurface contamination. Whereas, if the site is going to become a park where people frequently come into contact with the soil or groundwater, some amount of dig and haul may be required to eliminate exposure.

The legal framework around a contaminated property is built so that the current property owner is responsible even if he/she did not cause the pollution – unless they have been granted liability protection from the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). City staff can help explain these programs if you are concerned or interested.

The grant funds can provide funding for environmental investigations to help you find out if your property is contaminated or get documentation asserting that there is no reason to suspect contamination. If some contamination is found, the grant has funding available for up to two properties to create a plan to clean up the property and a market study to provide information about what types of development might suit the property. Remember that the extent (and thus cost) of cleanup depends on the future property use.

While it is certainly a bit scary to suspect that your property might have some contamination, selling without an environmental investigation is hard to do. To get a loan to buy a property, most banks require a Phase I environmental site assessment (like the ones funded by the grant) before issuing the loan. By going through this process, the City can use these funds to help make the property more marketable if you wish to sell it.

A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) uses existing information to understand the property conditions by examining current and historical uses of the site and potential threats to human health or the environment. The Phase I ESA includes reviewing historical land uses; conducting environmental records review, site visits, interviews with property owners and operators; and preparing a comprehensive report that contains all of that information.

The purpose of conducting a Phase I environmental site assessment (ESA) is to obtain innocent landowner protections through an environmental due diligence process. A Phase I ESA gives property owners a liability defense and satisfies all appropriate inquiries. It is often required by lenders prior to developing land and can support decision making when deciding how the land should be developed.

Once a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is completed the environmental conditions are documented and formalized. A recognized environmental condition is the presence or likely presence of any hazardous substances or petroleum products in, on, or at a property that could pose a threat to the environment and/or human health. The Phase I ESA also must be completed prior to a Phase II ESA.

A Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is conducted after a Phase I ESA and builds on the information gathered. The Phase II ESA includes sampling of soil, air, groundwater, and/or building materials and data analysis to evaluate the recognized environmental conditions identified in the Phase I ESA. The Phase II ESA determines sources of contamination and also assesses exposure pathways and cleanup scenarios.

The Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) is a feasibility study that develops and evaluates cleanup action alternatives for a site. An ABCA typically includes sections describing the background and current conditions of the site (maps, previous uses, assessment findings, reuse goals), applicable regulations and cleanup standards, an evaluation of cleanup alternatives and a recommended remedial action. The evaluation of cleanup alternatives is based on the effectiveness, ease of implementation and cost of each remedial action.

The Area-Wide Plan and Final Cleanup Plan will provide direction for future brownfields cleanup, reuse and redevelopment for a particular site. The community will be engaged to ensure the plans reflect community priorities related to brownfields cleanup and near- and long-term revitalization of the property. The resulting plans will evaluate existing environmental conditions, local market potential and needed infrastructure improvements, develop strategies for site cleanup and reuse, and identify resources and strategies to help implement the plan.