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Executive Director’s Office
The Utah Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) was created to promote the voluntary cleanup of contaminated sites and encourage redevelopment of Brownfields and other impacted properties through a streamlined cleanup program. The VCP has been a success, providing communities and businesses with an avenue to partner with DEQ to implement solutions for difficult environmental challenges on contaminated properties. This program protects public health and the environment and helps return impacted properties to beneficial reuse, which creates new economic opportunities for affected communities.
Success Story: Alta Gateway
The Alta Gateway Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) site is located in the Gateway District of Salt Lake City. The property was first developed in approximately 1910 and was used for various commercial purposes. However, over time, the property fell into a state of disrepair, creating uncertainty regarding the current environmental conditions and future redevelopment opportunities.
To address this site, a VCP application was submitted by a private developer. Remedial action commenced upon completion of the site characterization. As part of the remedy, soil contamination (consisting of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals) was removed to approximately eight feet below ground surface across the entire site and disposed of at a permitted facility. Confirmation samples were collected after the removal to verify the cleanup goals were achieved. To ensure protectiveness for the future development, a vapor barrier was installed during construction of the apartments.
Today, the site has been closed under the VCP and is now a thriving, transit-oriented residential development helping revitalize this portion of downtown Salt Lake City.
Success Story: Richmond City Swaps an Old Gas Station for a City Park
A team from DERR worked with Richmond City on a Brownfields redevelopment project on an old gas station. The City requested assistance from the Division for the site investigation and removal of the underground storage tank (UST) so the City could develop the property. In addition to coordinating the project, DERR funded a Targeted Brownfields assessment to help gather current information on the property.
After completion of the investigation and removal of the tank, DERR issued a “No Further Action” letter allowing the city to proceed with redeveloping the property as part of the existing city park.
“The Mayor and City Council would like to personally thank…you and the State of Utah for the financial assistance as well as regulatory help in cleaning up a very blighted and unsightly area of the city. The council and residents are thankful to have the gas tanks removed and the area cleaned up. The council can now move forward in incorporating this area into our city park which this parcel attaches to….thanks for all you have done to make this project a reality and to see it completed.”
–Mayor Jeffrey D. Young, Richmond City
Success Story: Ogden Business Exchange VCP Site
The historic Ogden Stockyards were established approximately 1905. Over the course of time, millions of head of livestock passed through the facility. The stockyards were eventually closed in 1971, and the property was used for various other purposes. Storage of drums, containers, engines, vehicles, scrap piles, and railroad ties created a significant amount of environmental uncertainty that became an impediment to redevelopment efforts.
Ogden City used funding from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Community-Wide Assessment grant to perform a Phase II Site Assessment at the property. The assessment provided information the city needed to apply for an Enforceable Written Assurance (EWA) from DEQ to facilitate cleanup and redevelopment.
A Reasonable Step as part of the EWA was for the city to complete response actions under the Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) (32 KB), so Ogden applied to the VCP in July 2014. To assist the city, the cleanup was phased, and field work commenced on Phase 1 after a cleanup plan was developed and a public comment period completed. Upon completion of the work, a No Further Action letter (12 MB) was issued. This allowed construction of a new commercial facility that was completed in 2016. Fieldwork on other portions of the site was also completed and a site-wide Certificate of Completion was issued in February 2018.
The property is currently being developed, and Ogden City is working to transform this once blighted 50-acre site into the Ogden Business Exchange. Minutes from downtown, the new business park will not only provide a new tax base for the city but a recreation destination as well.
“The Utah DEQ played an important role in the Ogden Business Exchange, which is a significant redevelopment project in Ogden City. The project transformed the historic Ogden Union Stockyards, long vacant and blighted, into a state-of-the-art business park. Joining the DEQ’s Voluntary Clean-up Program allowed the City to access technical assistance, planning, and regulatory clarity that helped us to complete the project correctly and in a timely manner. The DERR team was very knowledgeable, flexible, and always willing to help – they were essential to the City’s efforts to return this brownfields site to productive use.”
–Brandon Cooper and Sara Meess, Ogden City Business Development Office