April 2006

Local governments are seeing a great opportunity emerge from the shadows of uncertainty throughout California’s urban centers. In the redevelopment community, properties with an industrial past can inspire fear of environmental cleanup costs and liability. The question of what may or may not be in the soil or groundwater can be too much of a threat to risk an investment. The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has worked to reduce that risk and encourage communities through a program called Cleanup Loans and Environmental Assistance to Neighborhoods (CLEAN), that provides low-interest loans for investigation and clean up of urban brownfield sites.

Read Original Article at CA DTSC web site.

This half-acre site in downtown Vacaville was one of the first properties to benefi t from a CLEAN loan. From the 1930’s until 2000, the site was home to a residential/commercial duplex, a small automobile repair shop, and a chrome plating shop. Soil and material testing found hazardous levels of copper, nickel, lead, zinc, and chromium in and around the plating shop. In 2000, the shop was closed and the site was fenced and posted with warnings. The hazardous materials stored on the site were removed and surface spills were cleaned up, but there was still contamination in the soil.

The Vacaville Redevelopment Agency purchased the property for redevelopment, taking on the liability for the contamination and the cost to clean it up. The agency applied for and received a CLEAN Loan from DTSC in the spring of 2002. The loan provided funds to help clean up remaining contamination at the site.

The site investigation conducted in 2002/2003 identifi ed lead and arsenic as contaminants remaining in the soil. Approximately 240 cubic yards of contaminated soil was excavated and appropriately disposed offsite. Groundwater was not contaminated. In July 2004, DTSC certifi ed that all environmental cleanup at the site was completed. The site is now suitable for unrestricted land use and development. Although no specifi c redevelopment plans are in place, the conceptual plan includes commercial and residential use. The rebirth of this property is one more step in Vacaville’s plan to revitalize its historic downtown.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2008 at 11:10 am and is filed under ●Brownfields Success Stories.

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