News Releases from Headquarters›Land and Emergency Management (OLEM)
EPA Announces its 2020 Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Award Winners
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the winners of the third annual National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse awards. These awards recognize the innovative thinking and cooperation among federal agencies, states, tribes, local partners and developers that have led to noteworthy restoration and reuse of federal facility sites.
“For the past three years, we’ve shown how federal facility Superfund sites can be transformed into community assets,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “I’m proud of the work to address and redevelop these sites, which provides economic development and investment, and creates jobs in these communities.”
The Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Awards cover four categories of federal facilities: (1) National Priorities List (NPL) sites, (2) NPL Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) sites, (3) non-NPL BRAC sites, and (4) non-NPL sites. This year’s award winners are:
NPL Award: Weldon Spring, Missouri (Lead Federal Agency – U.S. Department of Energy [DOE], Office of Legacy Management [LM])
The Weldon Spring DOE LM site, comprised of a former Chemical Plant and Quarry, has a complex history. It played a pivotal role in our nation’s history and success in World War II and the Cold War. The 228-acre site is located about 25 miles west of St. Louis and has been revitalized for beneficial reuse as a community educational center and recreational site. The Weldon Spring Interpretive Center features exhibits designed to fulfill DOE’s post closure responsibilities. The center informs and educates the public about long-term stewardship and the site’s historical legacy. An important educational focus is on risk communication, showing how cleanup activities made the site safe for public use. Other redevelopment highlights include community use facilities and a natural prairie habitat which promotes wildlife conservation.
NPL BRAC Award: Former Fort Ord, California (Lead Federal Agency – U.S. Army)
The former Fort Ord Army Base, which had been a training facility since WWI, closed in 1994 under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program. The closure created an opportunity to repurpose the 28,000-acre base. Its many new uses include:
- California State University Monterey Bay campus
- Fort Ord National Monument and Dunes State Park
- California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery
- Retail center, residential developments and VA outpatient clinic
The diverse utilization of the large site has spurred new jobs, housing opportunities, and an overall regional economic recovery that has benefited more than 17,000 residents and 6,000 employees in the Monterey Bay region. From start to finish, the redevelopment at Fort Ord has been a model that will benefit other large redevelopment projects in the future.
Non-NPL BRAC Award: Former Naval Training Center Orlando, Florida (Lead Federal Agency – U.S. Navy)
The City of Orlando successfully partnered with federal, state and local stakeholders at the former Naval Training Center (NTC) Orlando. Having served as an Army and Navy air training facility since the 1940’s, this 2,000-acre site closed in 1999 under the BRAC program. The team’s efforts in promoting public and private investments resulted in a renewed area consisting of a mixed-use, master-planned community, industrial facility and recreational spaces. Due to the collaborative efforts, the former NTC Orlando site has become an economic asset to the City of Orlando.
Non-NPL Award: Valley Forge Asbestos Release Site, Pennsylvania (Lead Federal Agency – U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service)
The Valley Forge Asbestos Release Site is a 112-acre area located in the center of the Valley Forge National Historical Park. The area was contaminated by activities of an asbestos insulation manufacturing plant that formerly operated on the property. In 2017, the National Park Service completed a long-term remedial action to excavate contaminated soil and sediment so the site could be re-opened. Now, the park is back in business conserving and interpreting the land associated with the 1777-78 winter encampment of Gen. George Washington and the Continental Army. By making the investment in environmental cleanup, the National Park service has provided public access to a significant historical area in the center of the park’s forests, meadows and hiking trails.
Background
EPA has ongoing cleanup and property transfer responsibilities at 174 federal facility NPL sites across the country, which are some of the largest and most complex sites within the Superfund program. The Trump Administration has made the Superfund program a top priority to advance the agency’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment. EPA’s Superfund Task Force is working to promote redevelopment and reuse of sites by encouraging investment in reuse outcomes. The federal facility sites receiving reuse awards serve as examples of the types of site investment that can occur at sites once owned by federal agencies.
For more information about the award, please visit https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/fedfac/2020-national-federal-facility-excellence-site-reuse-awards
For more information about cleanups at federal facilities, please visit www.epa.gov/fedfac
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