This agreement will provide funding for navajo nation EPA to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct cleanup planning and community involvement related activities for brownfield sites in mckinley…

This $350,000 cooperative agreement awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 will fund the Navajo Nation EPA to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct cleanup planning and community involvement activities for brownfield sites in McKinley County, New Mexico on the Navajo Nation. Specifically, the project will focus on priority areas 1 and 2 of the 100-acre Navajo Forest Products Industry legacy site, sampling for contaminants of concern including asbestos, various chemicals, solvents, degreasers, and petroleum-based products in soil and groundwater. Dissolved benzene has been detected in groundwater wells at concentrations up to $15,000 μg/L, and an estimated 22,000 cubic yards of petroleum-contaminated soil is comingled with asbestos to a depth of two feet. This award is being provided under the Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Cooperative Agreements program (CFDA #66.818) to address real property where expansion or redevelopment may be complicated by hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants under the Brownfields Initiative of the EPA.

This agreement will provide funding for navajo nation EPA to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct cleanup planning and community involvement related activities for brownfield sites in mckinley county, new mexico on the navajo nation. The project will focus attention on priority areas #1 and #2 of the 100 acre navajo forest products industry (nfpi) legacy site. Sampling of soil and groundwater for contaminants of concern include asbestos, paints, cleaners, aerosol cans, adhesives, resins, acids, water treatment chemicals, chlorinated solvents, degreasers and various petroleum-based fuels and lubricants, and formaldehyde. Dissolved phase benzene was detected in 7 of 14 groundwater wells at concentrations from 36 to 15,000 UG/l. In addition, there is an estimated 22,000 cubic yards of petroleum contaminated soil which is comingled with asbestos to a depth of two feet. Brownfields are real property, the expansion, development or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or…