|
Hazardous Substance Superfund
Funds to Nebraska: $30,000,000*
| Additional federal funds will accelerate ongoing cleanup activities or initiate new cleanup projects at 50 Superfund sites. Superfund is the name established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (CERCLA). This law was enacted in the wake of the discovery of toxic waste dumps, such as Love Canal and Time Beach in the 1970's. CERCLA allows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up such sites and to compel responsible parties to perform cleanups or reimburse EPA-led cleanups. |
|
Method of Funding
Competitive Grant |
|
Distribution
Grant awards are individually determined by the Environmental Protection Agency |
|
Primary Recipients
State of Nebraska
Sub Recipients
Omaha Lead Superfund Site |
|
Requirements |
| Timeline: Projects are approved until complete, up to 10 years. |
| Restrictions: None. |
| Recipient's matching funds requirement: 10% |
| Recipient's administrative allowance: None. |
Other characteristics: The Omaha site consists of approximately 15,000 residential properties, including some areas with environmental justice concerns, within a 27 square-mile boundary in the eastern portion of the Omaha metropolitan area. (The site does not include either the Omaha Central Business District or other nonresidential properties in the boundary area.) Emissions from a former lead refinery, operated by Asarco from the 1870s until 1997, are the site’s contamination source. Lead contamination in surface yard soils continues to be an exposure route at the site.
Omaha is one of 50 sites receiving a share of $600 million for environmental projects. Since 2005, 1,000 yards a year were cleaned. The cleanup entails removing contaminated soil, replacing it with clean soil and laying down sod. In some cases, the EPA also deep-cleans the interior of homes and fixes deteriorating lead paint on home exteriors. The EPA estimates that it eventually will spend $400 million in Omaha, cleaning up about 15,000 yards. Another five to 10 years of work remains. |
|
*Dollar values displayed on this website are primarily derived from information from the administering federal agencies. Estimates of projected federal distributions are used when the federal guidance or grant awards are still pending. Amounts are rounded to the nearest million. |
|
|
