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State brownfields presenter urges Phase 1 assessments; grant work for Beaver County paused for new projects
Summary
Bill Reifs of the state brownfields program described assessment steps — recommending Phase 1 environmental site assessments as the usual first step — and said the state's assessment grant has funded projects in Beaver County but is not taking new projects until federal funding direction clears.
Milford City and Beaver County officials received a presentation on brownfield redevelopment on Tuesday from Bill Reifs, who described how state and federal brownfields programs can support assessment and cleanup of previously developed sites.
Reifs said the first formal step in evaluating a potentially contaminated site is a Phase 1 environmental site assessment, a “desktop overview of the site and the history of the site” that identifies likely contaminants and informs whether sampling (a Phase 2) is needed.
“Depending on who might be acquiring the land…one of the first things that I would always suggest would be to do a Phase 1 first to protect your interest in advance of that acquisition,” Reifs said during the council meeting.
Reifs told council members that the state has used an assessment grant to support projects across Utah and has been prioritizing the southwestern portion of the state, including Beaver County. He said the grant has active projects but that state administrators have asked him to manage only existing projects while federal funding and administrative direction are unsettled; as a result, he is not taking new projects at this time.
Council members asked whether the program can evaluate private property. Reifs said the state program can assess private parcels only if a public entity (city, county, or qualifying nonprofit) submits the application and the program is guaranteed access to the land; the program is voluntary and will not proceed without landowner cooperation.
Reifs used a county-owned building that was formerly a hospital as an example. He said Phase 1 work can be followed by a Phase 2 sampling plan (interior and exterior) if the Phase 1 indicates potential asbestos, lead-based paint or soil contamination, and that sampling informs cleanup options and costs.
City staff said they will continue conversations with county and state partners about specific parcels and possible use of assessment funding when the grant reopens for new projects.
