Brownfields Success Story

Interview with Trent, McKnight, President at Throckmorton Beautification Committee, Inc. speaking on $70,982.00 EPA-funded Brownfields project to remove contaminated gasoline tanks. Throckmorton County created the Throckmorton Beautification Committee and actively pursued projects with practical and aesthetic values to encourage economic growth and improve the quality of life for its residents. One of its projects was the old Throckmorton Service Station prominently located at the City of Throckmorton's only major intersection. This property had languished on the real estate market for over 15 years because of potential Underground Storage Tank (UST) liability issues. The County developed plans to purchase the site for redevelopment as a pocket park and prominent feature of the County's Gateway to West Texas. EPA Region 6's Targeted Brownfields Assessment Program provided a free Phase I and limited Phase II assessment services to help with the County's decision to purchase and pursue cleanup of the site. Petroleum-based hydrocarbons were found in the soil and groundwater. In 2009 the County was awarded a competitive Brownfields Cleanup Grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to clean up the site. Three USTs were removed as well as contaminated soil. The County participated in the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's Petroleum Storage Tank Program.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Brownfields
• EPA
• Throckmorton
• Trent McKnight
• environment
• green
• success
• story