EPA grant assists in assessment and remediation of asbestos in historic buildings at SURF
The EPA recently announced the allocation of $1 million for a five year grant to the SDSTA.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced the allocation of $1 million for a five year grant to the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA) that will primarily be used for assessment and removal of contaminants often found in historic buildings, such as asbestos and lead paint.
“This is exciting and very welcoming news from the EPA,” says Bonita Goode the environmental manager at SURF. “Any facility with almost 150 years of history will have old buildings with asbestos and other products that were in use in the decades before they were regulated. This grant allows us to address these issues.”
The funding enables the continued effort to potentially preserve and repurpose some of the historic structures at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) that are not currently in daily use.
“The Foundry is one example of an underutilized building at SURF that contains asbestos. Thanks to the EPA, we can get this asbestos abated and open the door for future use of this building,” said Pam Hamilton, a project manager at SURF. She notes that other historic buildings on the property are also being assessed for adaptive reuse. “Getting the asbestos handled is a critical first step in this process. We’re hopeful this grant will allow us to remediate all remaining asbestos in surface buildings at SURF.”
Bonita Goode (left), the environmental manager at SURF, stands next to Pam Hamilton, project manager at SURF, in front of the Foundry Building, one of the sites that will see asbestos removal thanks to funding from the EPA. Photo by Stephen Kenny
photo by Stephen Kenny
This new grant allows SDSTA to continue asbestos remediation efforts commonly required inside old buildings all around the United States. “SDSTA has always tried to reuse and repurpose these old buildings,” Goode adds.
Hamilton agrees that this EPA funding helps SDSTA to continue to be a good steward of the property. “Historic preservation and adaptive reuse of these old buildings is difficult to do and often cost-prohibitive. The sheer number of buildings on this site is one of the challenges. This EPA grant really helps us reduce the costs of assessing and mitigating these issues.”
The EPA press release announcing this grant included a quote from Mike Headley, the executive director of the SDSTA and the laboratory director at SURF.
“Protecting the environment has always been a core value 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,” said Headley.
