Brownfields Public Record

Public Record

This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement RP96046313 to the Nez Perce Tribe. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the EPA endorse trade names or recommend the use of commercial products mentioned in this document.

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2021 Update: Quarter 3

Dear Prospective Bidder,

The Nez Perce Tribe’s Water Resources Division (NPT WRD) is now accepting bids for a Qualified Environmental Professional.

Bids must be received at the NPT WRD office no later 5:00 pm (PST) June 3, 2022 to be considered. Bid packages will be available on May 18, 2022 at the NPT WRD office and for download at NPT Request for Proposals. The NPT WRD office is located at 114 Veterans Drive, Lapwai, ID 83540, directly south-west of the Pi-Nee-Was building.

Job will consist of conducting and preparing Phase I and Phase II Assessments, Remedial Action Plans, Quality Assurance Project Plans, and Sampling and Analysis Plans to provide environmental professional services to implement the Nez Perce Tribe Community-Wide Brownfields Assessment Grants Project

Thank you for your time and consideration of this bid request. Please feel free to contact us to answer any questions you may have about the project. If you would like to get in touch with us, please contact Audrey Martinez at (208) 621-3888 or audreym@nezperce.com.

Supporting Documents:

NPT Request for Proposals.
Follow up Questions #1
Follow up Questions #2
Blue North Mill Supporting Documents
- ESA I
- ESA II

Published: 05/17/2022

Last Updated: 5/25/2022

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2022 Update: Quarter 1

The Nez Perce Tribe was recently awarded a $300,000 grant by the Environmental Protection Agency for our Brownfields program. The grant funding will be used to conduct phase 1 and 2 of environmental assessments on potentially contaminated properties. This entails evaluating the likelihood of environmental contamination (phase 1) and continued testing of soils and groundwater (phase 2).

Priority sites are located along the Clearwater River corridor, within the Nez Perce Reservation, which includes: a closed fueling station, an automobile junkyard and gravel mine, three unused lumber mills, and several unoccupied buildings. EPA’s Brownfields program uses a proven, results-oriented approach that includes community involvement activities to revitalize properties.

Follow the website for more project updates and information.

Audrey Martinez, Brownfields Tribal Response Program Coordinator
audreym@nezperce.org
(208) 843-7368, ext. 3888

Supporting Documents:

EPA Press Release

Published: 01/03/2022
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FY 2022

The following list of sites is planned to be addressed by the tribal response program in the coming year. The Nez Perce Tribe owns all:

Blue North Mill, Kamiah, ID: continued Phase II ESA activities on the 114-acre parcel.
Husky Sports, Orofino, ID: a Phase I ESA will be conducted at this historical fueling station.
Spalding Mill, Lapwai, ID: Phase II ESA including surface soil sampling at a residence near the eastern site entrance.
Fort Lapwai, Lapwai, ID: Development of bid specifications for hazardous building materials abatement, and oversight of preliminary engineering report for water system replacement.
TU-45, Orofino, ID: Development of a reuse plan for the site.
Orofino Asbestos Repository, Orofino ID – continued oversight
Riverside Asbestos Repository Unit, Orofino ID – continued oversight

FY 2021

The following is a list of work completed by the Water Resources Ground Water Program since its inception in fiscal year (FY) 2002. Work has been funded through American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA, two sites), responsible parties (6 sites), EPA’s LUST TRUST Program (8 sites), voluntary cleanups by property owners (9 sites), Targeted Brownfields Assessments by EPA (2 sites) and Superfund Technical Assessment & Response Team Contracts (START) by EPA (1 Site).

Last Update: 12/10/2021.

The following is a list of sites that the Tribe has worked on in FY 2021

Blue North Mill Site, 283 Woodland Road, Kamiah, ID –

The property is approximately 114-acres in size. Hazardous substances were found in buildings and areas near buildings throughout the site.
January 2021: Removed approximately ten cubic yards of asbestos-containing material from an office building (Building 1) at the site, in order to begin remodeling the building.
December 2020: Gave guidance to the Office of Executive Direction regarding the implementation of Institutional Controls at the site, including fencing around debris piles and restrictions on soil disturbance on the north side of Building 6A and along all four walls of Buildings 15 A and B, due to surface soil samples detecting lead above EPA Regional Screening levels for industrial properties.
August – September 2021: Conducted Phase II surface soil and subsurface investigation. This included:
- Subsurface soil sampling in Log Yard and Boiler Ash Stockpile footprint.
- Located test pits and test pit excavation.
- Performed two slug tests on wells.
- Drilled two boreholes and installed monitoring wells.
- Sampled groundwater in four wells.
Ongoing: Coordinating with Tribal Leadership, Tribal Enterprises, Office of Executive Direction, and Climate Change and Energy Subcommittees to develop redevelopment plans, timelines, and incorporate community involvement in analysis of brownfield cleanup alternatives.

Ft. Lapwai, 271 B. Street, Lapwai, ID –

January 2021: Received final Fort Lapwai Phase II ESA report from EPA.
Ongoing: Working with Office of Executive Direction and Tribal Leadership to identify funding sources to conduct hazardous material abatement before progress can move forward on reclaiming the property as a new Tribal Governance Center.
Institutional Controls: Due to extensive hazardous materials at the site, doors and windows to three of the four buildings have been boarded over, and extensive signage and fencing put up to discourage trespassers. The East Building has been renovated and is currently being used by the Nez Perce Tribe’s Adult Education Department.

Former Clearwater/Potlatch lumber mill, Spalding, ID –

Summer 2020: coordinated with Tribal Enterprises to conduct geophysical surveys using electromagnetics and ground-penetrating radar to locate two abandoned Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) thought to be present on the site. No presence of the USTs was detected during the survey, however, an underground utility vault (used to store large electric transformers) was found near the US-95 right-of-way.
July 2021: Met with Tribal Enterprises and engineers to discuss the development of the site. The development of a Water System Plan has been prioritized.
The property is within the boundaries of the regional Grande Ronde Aquifer, an EPA-designated Sole Source Aquifer (SSA). Due to the threats to water quality and quantity within a SSA, we are advising Tribal Enterprises on redevelopment options and necessary protections required by EPA for development within the Grande Ronde SSA.

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2020

The following is a list of work completed by the Water Resources Ground Water Program since its inception in fiscal year (FY) 2002. Work has been funded through American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA, 2 sites), responsible parties (6 sites), EPA’s LUST TRUST Program (8 sites), voluntary cleanups by property owners (9 sites), Targeted Brownfields Assessments by EPA (2 sites) and Superfund Technical Assessment & Response Team Contracts (START) by EPA (1 Site).

The following is a list of sites that the Tribe worked on in FY 2020

Blue North Mill Site, Kamiah, ID – conducted Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) for Hazardous Building Materials of 17 remaining structures and received cost estimate for abatement.

Exploring options for no-cost demolition, following abatement, by reclaiming timbers in some of the old mill buildings.

Preparing for Phase II ESA of soil and groundwater contamination associated with residual petroleum products and a boiler system ash stock pile for early 2021.

Coordinating with Tribal Leadership, Tribal Enterprises, Office of Executive Direction, and Climate Change and Energy Subcommittees to develop redevelopment plans, timelines, and incorporate community involvement in analysis of brownfield cleanup alternatives.

Ft. Lapwai, Lapwai, ID – accepted in EPA’s Targeted Brownfield Assessment Program in 2019. In summer 2020, EPA contractors performed Phase II ESA activities on the former BIA/Indian Boarding School/Tuberculosis Hospital/Lapwai School District buildings for Hazardous Building Materials and provided a cost estimate for abatement.

Soil and groundwater samples were taken to identify any petroleum plume migration from the Lapwai School Bus Bar property.

Working with Office of Executive Direction and Tribal Leadership to identify funding sources to conduct hazardous material abatement before progress can move foward on reclaiming the property as a new Tribal Governance Center.

Former Clearwater/Potlatch lumber mill, Spalding, ID – Updated Phase I ESA, reviewing 2004 and 2012 Phase I ESA findings. In summer 2020, coordinated with Tribal Enterprises to conduct geophysical surveys using electromagnetics and ground penetrating radar to locate two abandoned Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) thought to be present on the site. No presence of the USTs were detected during the survey, however a underground utility vault (used to store large electric transformers) was found near the US-95 rigth-of-way.

The property is within the boundaries of the regional Grande Ronde Aquifer, an EPA-designated Sole Source Aquifer (SSA). Due to the threats to water quality and quantity within a SSA, we are advising Tribal Enterprises on redevelopement options and necessary protections required by EPA for development within the Grande Ronde SSA.

Proposed Waste Transfer Station, Kooskia, ID – In 2018, Simmons Sanitation proposed a new waste transfer station on private land, within the 1863 Reservation boundary, near the mouth of the South Fork Clearwater River. While the proposed site is behind the US Army Corps of Engineers-maintained leeve system, it is still within the 100-yr flood plain and is subject to frequent inundation of flood waters, particularly during spring high water flows. The waste transfer station would include recycling and househould hazardous waste options for the residents of Kooskia, a service that is currently not provided. The Nez Perce Brownfields Team has been working closely with IDEQ, who has regulatory authority over transfer station plans and operations, to ensure transparency and community member concens is honored through the permitting process.

Househould hazardous waste would only be stored temporaily at the transfer station in a “rolling-hazmat” truck, allowing for timely disposal at Simmons Kamiah landfill and elimnate the risk of household hazardous wastes being caught in flood waters.

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2019

The following is a list of sites that the Tribe will work on during FY 2019.