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Vernal seeks $3.5 million EPA Brownfields cleanup grant for downtown properties
Summary
Vernal City held a public hearing as it prepares to apply for an EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant to remediate contamination—including dry-cleaning solvents, petroleum, asbestos, and lead-based paint—at several City-owned downtown parcels. Officials propose a hybrid cleanup estimated at $3.5 million and said the application is due Jan. 28, 2026.
Vernal City Manager Quinn Bennion told the City Council on Jan. 7 that the City plans to apply for an EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant to address historic contamination at multiple City-owned downtown properties, including the former Basin Laundry site, the former Showalter property, and the Lamplighter Block. The application is due Jan. 28, 2026, and Bennion said the City has completed Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments, an ABCA, and a limited site investigation to support the request.
Ben Bower of Terracon reviewed cleanup alternatives required by the EPA and recommended a hybrid approach that combines targeted chemical injections, subsurface barriers, soil removal where petroleum contamination is found, vapor mitigation systems beneath future buildings, and institutional controls in the form of an environmental covenant limiting future use to commercial purposes unless further remediation is completed. Bower said the approach also includes asbestos and lead-based paint abatement prior to any demolition. The total estimated cost is approximately $3.5 million; Bower said that amount would be fully covered if the EPA grant is awarded. He told the Council successful applicants are typically notified in May or June and that grant funds become available in October, with a four-year funding period common for remediation and monitoring.
Councilmember Ed Long asked whether the City could begin cleanup work before awarding and still receive reimbursement; Bower replied that EPA protocols require approved quality assurance and work plans before work can be eligible for reimbursement. Councilmember Randel Mills pressed about the likelihood of meeting cleanup standards; Bower acknowledged persistent contaminants, including PFAS, and said an aggressive, hybrid remediation gives the best chance for success but does not guarantee complete removal of all contamination. A Vernal resident, Carol Kendall, voiced support for the recommended approach at the public hearing, saying she was "impressed with the proposed hybrid approach" and believed it struck a reasonable balance between cleanup and containment.
The hearing was closed with no further public comment. City staff and Terracon will proceed with the application process and continue investigative and planning work to support remediation and future redevelopment of the affected parcels.
