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Platte Valley Open Space

Platte Valley Open Space. A Capstone Project for ENVS 450 Environmental Impact Assessment. Presentation Outline . Introduction and goals Background story of Globeville and ASARCO NEPA and Globeville Introduction to the Environmental Assessment Plan synopsis and potential alternatives

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Platte Valley Open Space

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  1. Platte Valley Open Space A Capstone Project for ENVS 450 Environmental Impact Assessment

  2. Presentation Outline • Introduction and goals • Background story of Globeville and ASARCO • NEPA and Globeville • Introduction to the Environmental Assessment • Plan synopsis and potential alternatives • Environmental impacts • Conclusions and the future

  3. Our Goals • Introduce students to writing an EA/EIS • Become familiar with the NEPA process • Gain experience with environmental report writing

  4. Community Based Learning • Service and justice in the classroom • Community partners • Real world experience

  5. Regis University Mission • Learners becoming leaders • “How ought we to live” • Jesuit ideals: Men and Women in Service to Others

  6. EIA as a Capstone • Capstone Class • Culmination of past education • Future Career Path

  7. Platte Valley Open Space • Project: Writing PVOS EA • Combined community based learning goals and professional goals as ENVS students • Career preparation for graduates

  8. Globeville History The American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) Corporation opened its doors in the late 1800’s. ASARCO was a smelting plant that melted metal like arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and zinc. nebraska.sierraclub.org

  9. What is a Smelting Plant? • How it works • Smoke Stack Issues

  10. Pro’s and Con’s • Pro: Employment • Con: Pollution

  11. ASARCO Contaminants • Lead • Zinc • Arsenic • Cadmium 

  12. ASARCO Pollution Effects • Being exposed the metallic fumes can cause a number of health issues. www.kelation-therapy.com

  13. Employees and Residents • Past • Present

  14. Environmental Justice • This applies to Globeville because: • consisting mainly of minorities • 1.3% vs. 5.1% • 22.7% • (Globeville neighborhood, 2010).

  15. ASARCO Lawsuit • In recent years residents began to wonder how safe their land was www.umich.edu

  16. What is NEPA • 1960’s “rise of environmental consciousness” from environmental works such as Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring” • National Environmental Policy Act- enacted in 1969 • “world’s first policy that protects the human environment for future generations” (Eccelston, 2001)

  17. NEPA • NEPA has two titles • Title I- sets up procedural requirements that need to be followed when implementing a federal action • Title II- Creates the Council on Environmental Quality • CEQ oversees NEPA

  18. Flow Chart of the NEPA Process

  19. What Does NEPA Protect/ Consider? Some Examples: Soil Native vegetation Socioeconomic factors Surface and ground water Aesthetics Air quality Impact on surrounding areas Wildlife

  20. Environmental Assessment (EA) vs. Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) • What is an EA? • Used to analyze the environmental impacts of proposed federal actions. • What is an EIS? • More extensive than an EA

  21. CDPHE v. ASARCO CDPHE: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment CERCLA: Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act

  22. The NPL: National Priorities List • ASARCO settles • Then goes bankrupt • Why the site is stuck

  23. Timeline of the Globeville Site Relating to the ASARCO Contamination • 1987- CDPHE and ASARCO made an agreement in to determine the extent of the sites contamination • May 1993- EPA proposed the Globeville site for the NPL( National Priorities Lists) • July 1993 ASARCO settle with CDPHE to pay for site, they agreeded to pay for sites cleanup with the oversight of CDPHE • 2002- Residential cleanup completed

  24. Where are we Now? • The Globevillecommunity taken site into their own hands. • With the help of Groundwork Denver the community is working to change the Oletski Valley into open space. • Our class wrote an EA in order to assess the proposed actions to the Globeville site. We believe these actions will result in a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)

  25. PVOS Environmental Assessment Table of Contents

  26. 1.0 Purpose and need for proposed action 1.1 Structures 1.2 Road closing 1.3 Tunnel 1.4 Native vegetation 1.5 Trails and hardscape 1.6 Soils and community garden 1.7 Trash removal 2.0 Description of effected environment, alternatives, and scoping of issues 2.1 Social/Culture History 2.1.1 Present ownership 2.1.2 Environmental justice issues 2.2 Physical Description 2.2.1 Natural History 2.2.2 Hydrology 2.2.3 Geology 2.2.4 Current wildlife use and potential habitat 2.2.5 Current structures 3.0 Analysis of environmental impacts of the proposed action and reasonable alternatives 3.1 Structures 3.2 Road closing 3.3Tunnel 3.4 Native vegetation 3.5 Trails and hardscape 3.6 Soils and community garden 3.7 Trash removal 4.0 Applicable environmental permits and regulatory requirements that would need to be obtained 4.1 Structures 4.2 Road closing 4.3 Tunnel 4.4 Native vegetation 4.5 Trails and hardscape 4.6 Soils and community garden 4.7Trash removal 5.0 List of agencies and persons consulted 6.0 References

  27. Current physical description • PVOS is an open field with houses at the very end with some vegetation and power poles through out the site. • Surrounded by graffiti on fences and poles.

  28. Hydrology • The area floods often, and there is a small patch on the south side that tends to collect pools of water.

  29. Surroundings • The train tracks, residential housing, and industrial buildings border PVOS. • Part of the site is scattered with trash, and residents were not seen using the area.

  30. 59%

  31. View and Noise • The site overlooks the Denver skyline, and the Rocky mountains. • The low noise level potentially creates a pleasant environment, with some clean up efforts.

  32. Plan Synopsis • Structures • Road closure

  33. Plan Synopsis • Planting native vegetation • Path or pedestrian tunnel for safe railroad crossing

  34. Plan Synopsis • Trails and hardscape • Trash removal and disposal Trail through Stapleton brownfield

  35. Plan Synopsis • No Action • Community Garden • Park

  36. Potential Alternatives • Structures • Road

  37. Potential Alternatives • Leave present vegetation • Cheatgrass, Bromus tectorum • Kochia scoparia (Federal and State noxious weed list) • No rail crossing

  38. Potential Alternatives • Trails and hardscape • Trash removal

  39. Environmental Impacts • Structures • Overpass/Tunnel • Trails/Hardscapes • Road closing • Native Vegetation • Trash Removal

  40. No action – Action Impacts • Definition No action • Road closure • Planting Native veg. • Trash removal • Definition Action • Structures • RR crossing • Trials and Hardscape

  41. Road Closure

  42. Native Vegetation

  43. Trash Removal

  44. Action - Impacts • Structures • Overpass/Tunnel • Trails/Hardscapes

  45. Overpass/Tunnel

  46. Trails/Hardscapes

  47. Outcomes from Environmental Assessment • As a class we have learned some of the advantages and restraints of preparing an Environmental Assessment. • Comprehensive documentations of the Platte Valley Open Space, and some proposed actions for the remediated area. • Knowledge regarding the current state of the Globeville neighborhood, and its long deep-rooted history.

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