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Industrial Land and Contamination
Land within the LA River watershed has historically been occupied by industrial and commercial businesses. Some of these businesses have historically introduced contaminants into the soil and groundwater beneath many of the properties. In some cases, the original businesses and/or owners no longer exist.
Prior to revitalization, industrial and commercial properties will have to be assessed and evaluated by current landowners to determine if they are contaminated. If contaminated, they will require cleanup to make them safe for the intended land use (e.g., parks, public facilities, affordable housing, etc.). Assessment, evaluation, and clean-up will be coordinated through one of the federal, state, or county environmental agencies, such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), State Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), or LA County Department of Environmental Health.
Contaminated/Clean-up Sites
Funding Sources and Streams for Redevelopment of Contaminated Properties
Funding to assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse contaminated properties is available through various local and federal agencies. The type of funding available is dependent on the project stage, site conditions, and parties involved in the redevelopment project (e.g., public, private, non-profit).
Funding is not guaranteed. A site’s eligibility for funding is evaluated through an application process overseen by the given funding agency. A list of potentially available funding sources is provided below.
For more information on industrial land and contamination, please see the Appendix II: Technical Backup Document.
Environmental Process
| Assessment Evaluation | Environmental Desktop Review
Site Reconnaissance and Interviews Intrusive Sampling and Chemical Testing Data Evaluation and Reporting |
|---|---|
| Clean-Up | Excavation/Removal
Treatment in Place Containment/Mitigation |
| Closure | Unrestricted Use
Restricted Use with Land Use Covenant Long-Term Monitoring and Maintenance |
Typical environmental process of assessing and cleaning up contaminated land.
Geosyntec, 2020. Brownfield grant funding analysis for LA River Master Plan.
Funding Sources for Contaminated Sites
| Agency | Fund Name | Max Funding | Who | Assessment | Clean-up | Applied Across Multiple Sites? | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants | Loans | Grants | Loans | |||||
| EPA | Site-Specific Assessment | $350k | 1,3 | |||||
| Community-Wide Assessment | $300k | 1,3 | ||||||
| Assessment Coalition | $600k | 1,3 | ||||||
| Clean-Up | $500k | 1,3 | ||||||
| Revolving Loan | $1M | 1,3 | ||||||
| Multi-Purpose | $800k | 1,3 | ||||||
| DTSC | Targeted Site Investigation Program | $200k | 1,3 | |||||
| Investigating Site Contamination Program | $100k | 1,2,3 | ||||||
| Revolving Loan Fund | $200k | 1,2,3 | ||||||
| CLEAN Program (for Assessments) | $100k | 1,2,3 | ||||||
| CLEAN Program (for Clean-Up) | $2.5M | 1,2,3 | ||||||
| CAWQCB | Site Clean-Up Subaccount | NL | 1,2,3 | |||||
| Groundwater Grant | $50M | 1,3 | ||||||
| Groundwater Treatment and Remediation | $20M | 1,3 | ||||||
| Underground Storage Tank Clean-Up | NL | 2 | ||||||
| Orphan Site Clean-Up Fund | $1M | 2 | ||||||
| Cal-Recycle | Illegal Disposal Site Abatement | $500k | 1 | |||||
| Legacy Disposal Site Abatement | $750k | 1 | ||||||
NOTE:
- Public Entities
- Private Businesses and Individuals
- Non-Profit Organizations
$k: Thousands of dollars
$M: Millions of Dollars
NL: Not Listed
Example funding sources for clean-up of contaminated sites.
www.dtsc.ca.gov/brownfields-funding/, www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/brownfields/, https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-and-land-revitalization-epa-region-9.