EPA Press Office:

EPA awards $3 million for cleanup and redevelopment projects in Sioux Falls, Lead and rural South Dakota communities

Brownfields grants to SDDANR and SDSTA to spur community and economic revitalization Sioux Falls, Lead, Box Elder and Lake City

Contacts 

U.S. EPA: Honor Morgan, morgan.honor@epa.gov 

SDSTA: Mike Ray, (605) 721-7865, cray@sanfordlab.org  

SDDANR: Dana Munyon, (605) 773-4022, DANRmail@state.sd.us  

 

Sioux Falls, S.D. (May 20, 2024) – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $3 million in Brownfields grant funding to support the environmental assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of critical properties in communities across South Dakota.  The EPA awards are being provided to two grantees.  The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (SDDANR) will receive $2 million in EPA Brownfields funding for high-priority projects in several South Dakota communities including Box Elder, Lake City and Sioux Falls.  The South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA) will also receive $1 million to assess and clean up contaminated properties at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead. 

These investments are part the agency’s Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup (MAC) Grant Programs.  

“EPA’s Brownfields grants continue to help South Dakota communities transform blighted properties,” said EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker.  “Today’s funding will help leaders in Sioux Falls, Lead, Box Elder and Lake City reclaim contaminated buildings and outdoor spaces and put them back into safe and productive reuse as businesses and public amenities.” 

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources: $2 million 

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources will receive a $2 million EPA Brownfields grant to help local leaders assess and cleanup properties in Sioux Falls (Falls Park, Quarry Lake, and Sioux Empire Fairgrounds) Lake City (Fort Sisseton State Park) and Box Elder (Villa Ranchaero). 

“The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources is committed to protecting and preserving our environment and natural resources through the assessment of blighted properties across the state,” said DANR Secretary Hunter Roberts. “Using these grant dollars to expand our Brownfields program will help ensure abandoned properties are properly assessed, facilitating growth and development in our communities.” 

SDDANR will use the EPA grant funds to support several projects in Sioux Falls, including efforts to address contamination at former landfills in Falls Park and Quarry Lake and enhance the City’s “Parks for All” initiative.  Environmental assessments will include dredge and soil sampling as well as water quality tests for PFAS and other contaminants.  Reuse plans include new recreational access and features, a restored fishery, and park amenities such as an expanded picnic shelter, community pavilion and great lawn, a visitor center and a hands-on agricultural experience for visitors. In addition, EPA funds will be used to evaluate the 22-acre Sioux Empire Fairgrounds Former Landfill site for methane, PFAS and potential risks to the Big Sioux River. This site has been identified for potential reuse as a rideshare parking lot, electric vehicle charging stations, greenway, community garden and walking and biking trails.  

The State will also use EPA funds to assess and cleanup the Villa Ranchaero site in Box Elder, which includes approximately 4 acres near Ellsworth Air Force Base. The site has been home to several small retail shops, restaurants and dry cleaners and has been designated as a priority site for assessment, cleanup and reuse. The State will also complete environmental assessments Fort Sisseton Historic State Park to enable the construction of a new visitor center, including soil borings, asbestos and lead paint investigations in historic buildings.  

South Dakota Science and Technology Authority, Lead, SD: $1 million 

The South Dakota Science and Technology Authority will receive $1 million in EPA Brownfields funding to assess and clean up several contaminated properties that are a high priority for reuse at the former Homestake Gold Mine, which has been transformed into the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in the City of Lead.  SURF is the deepest underground laboratory in the U.S., and an internationally renowned science facility.  

“Protecting the environment has always been a core value at SURF,” said Mike Headley, the executive director of the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority and the Laboratory Director at SURF. “This strong support from the EPA advances the on-going efforts to ensure environmental health and safety, habitat restoration, historic preservation, and sustainable practices here at America’s Underground Lab.” 

EPA’s grant funding will allow SDSTA to address asbestos and other environmental concerns at priority buildings throughout the SURF facility, including the Yates Compressor Building, the Ellison Boiler Building and the Foundry Building. In addition to asbestos, known and potential environmental concerns include petroleum hydrocarbons, PCBs, volatile organic compounds, lead-based paint and metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic. Redevelopment plans include the safe reuse of contaminated spaces and a proposed new main entrance to the facility.  

Additional Background: 

EPA’s Brownfields Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative which set a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Approximately 86% of the MAC and RLF Supplemental program applications selected to receive funding proposed to work in areas that include overburdened communities. 

EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.7 billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. Prior to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this program made approximately $60 million available each year. Thanks to the President’s historic investments in America through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA has now increased that yearly investment nearly 400 percent.   

To see the list of the FY 2024 Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup applicants selected for funding visit EPA’s FY 2024  Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup Applicants webpage.  

For more information on EPA’s Brownfields Program visit EPA’s Brownfields webpage.