[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Director Steve Owens Announces $38, 693 Brownfields Grant to Flagstaff for Rio de Flag Site

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Director Steve Owens Announces $38,693 Brownfields Grant to
Flagstaff for Rio de Flag Site 

PHOENIX (Nov. 19, 2007) - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
(ADEQ) Director Steve Owens today announced that ADEQ is awarding a
brownfields grant of $38,963 to the City of Flagstaff to complete the
second phase of an environmental site assessment on land located on
Phoenix Avenue in downtown Flagstaff. 

The grant is in addition to a $50,000 brownfields grant ADEQ gave
Flagstaff last year for the first phase of the environmental assessment
on the site. The new grant brings ADEQ's funding for the project to
nearly $89,000. 

The site consists of two pieces of land. One, located at 216 W. Phoenix
Ave., requires no further assessment. The other, located at 116 W.
Phoenix Ave., needs more assessment because of the potential presence of
petroleum hydrocarbons, dioxins and other environmental contaminants. 

In June, a contractor working on the site tried to take groundwater
samples but struck shallow bedrock. The City of Flagstaff decided that
it required more funding to complete the assessment and requested the
additional funding from ADEQ. 

The two parcels, located within the Rio de Flag floodplain, have
experienced difficulties over the years because of area flooding. A
five-acre area must be cleaned of suspected contaminants before
flood-related issues can be addressed. The sites include a vacant lot,
parking lot, warehouse, power plant, railroad spur lines and a storage
yard and a wood preservation vat. 

"We have been working closely with the City of Flagstaff on their
efforts to develop this important downtown area," Director Owens said.
"This funding will help the city complete the environmental assessment
of the property and keep moving forward with this project. The purpose
of our Brownfields Program is to help communities like Flagstaff
identify and reduce environmental hazards and put properties like these
back to productive use again." 

A brownfield is an abandoned or under-used property with an active
redevelopment potential that suffers from known or perceived
environmental contamination.

-30-

News media interested in additional information on this or any other
topic concerning the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality should
contact the Office of Communications at (602) 771-2215 or via email at
communications@azdeq.gov.




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