[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Director Owens Announces New Initiative to Help Arizona Schools Clean Up and Prevent Contamination from Leaking Underground Storage Tanks

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Director Owens Announces New Initiative to Help Arizona Schools
Clean Up and Prevent Contamination from Leaking Underground Storage
Tanks 

PHOENIX (September 11, 2007) - Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality (ADEQ) Director Steve Owens announced today that ADEQ has
launched an innovative initiative to help schools across Arizona clean
up contamination from leaking underground storage tanks (USTs) on school
property and prevent future leaks from USTs.  

"We are launching a unique partnership with schools and school districts
throughout the state to clean up contamination on school properties
caused by leaking underground storage tanks, as well as help schools
prevent future leaks from tanks on their property," Director Owens said.
"This will help protect the environment, and it will save our schools a
lot of money."

The program is a joint effort by ADEQ's Children's Environmental Health
Project and the department's Tank Programs Division.  ADEQ will use
money from the State Assurance Fund (SAF), the state UST remediation
fund, to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater at school
facilities.  ADEQ also will provide technical assistance to schools and
school districts to ensure that USTs owned and operated by the schools
and districts are properly maintained in accordance with the law to
prevent future leakage.  

ADEQ has identified 17 districts across the state with leaking USTs on
school/school district properties.  These districts, by county, are:

Coconino: Page Unified

Greenlee: Clifton Unified

Maricopa: Buckeye Union High School, Cave Creek Unified, Glendale
Unified High School, Scottsdale Unified, Tempe Unified High School,
Tolleson Union High School

Pima: Amphitheater Unified, Marana Unified, Tucson Unified

Pinal: Santa Cruz Valley Union High School

Santa Cruz: Patagonia Unified

Yavapai: Mingus Union High School

Yuma: Crane Elementary, Somerton Elementary, Yuma Elementary

ADEQ also has identified 43 school districts and independent schools
with USTs,  for which ADEQ will provide technical assistance.  The
districts, by county, are:

Cochise:  Palominas Elementary

Coconino: Flagstaff Unified, Page Unified, Williams Unified

Graham: Safford Unified

Greenlee: Duncan Unified

Maricopa: Agua Fria Union HS, Alhambra Elementary, Avondale Elementary,
Cartwright Elementary, Cave Creek Unified, Creighton Elementary, Dysart
Unified, Fowler Elementary, Gilbert Unified, Glendale Elementary,
Glendale Union High School, Kyrene Elementary, Laveen Elementary,
Liberty Elementary, Litchfield Elementary, Madison Elementary, Mesa
Unified, Nadaburg Elementary, Paradise Valley Unified, Peoria Unified,
Phoenix Union High School, Roosevelt Elementary, Scottsdale Unified,
Tempe School District, Tempe Union High School, Washington Elementary 

Pima:  Amphitheater Unified, Arizona State School for the Deaf and
Blind, Catalina Foothills Unified, Tucson Unified

Pinal: Apache Junction Unified, Mammoth-San Manuel Unified, Ray Unified,
Santa Cruz Valley High School

Yavapai: Lake Valley Elementary, Mayer Unified, Prescott Unified

-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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