Download - Lynchburg Grows - Michael van Ness
Virginia Urban Agriculture SummitLynchburg, VirginiaApril 15 & 16, 2014
J. Meade R. Anderson, CPG
Brownfields Program Manager
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
804-698-4179
Grow It Here…
Grow It Now…
Hold on…let’s give that some thought…
Thomas Jefferson’s Vegetable Garden
Victory Garden
During Word War I and World War II, Victory Gardens were planted on private residences and on public to reduce the pressure on the public food supply. At this point most city residences were not that far removed from “farm life” however over the ensuing 50 city gardens virtually disappeared.
But Then Farming Fell From Fashion
CommunityGardens
&Urban
Agriculture
Urban Garden
Today’s Urban Gardening revival provides urban dwellers increased access to fresher foods, promotes a stronger sense of community, and puts underused land into productive use as green space, pocket parks, and stormwater mitigation
Recycling Land – the only choice
At this point almost all land is “recycled”
Much has been used for hundreds of years
Some areas of the world have been under cultivation for thousands of years
There are many little “gifts” left by previous users of the land
And often we cannot see these “gifts”, some good like the proper nutrients, some bad, like metals and chemicals
And we are going to have to make “smarter” use of land in the future
History of the Toolbox Initial Guidance on Brownfields and Urban
Gardening was Developed by U.S. EPA, Region V. - Brownfields and Urban Agriculture – Interim Guidelines for Safe Gardening Practices (Summer 2011) http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/urbanag/pdf/bf_urban_ag.pdf
History of the Toolbox
The Brownfields Focus Group of ASTSWMO (Association of State and Territorial Waste Management Officers) was approached by a few U.S. EPA staff about creating a more detailed guidance that would also cover what states can provide in terms of technical assistance, grants, etc.
In October of 2012 ASTSWMO’s Brownfields Focus Group published Community Gardening on Brownfields Toolbox
http://www.astswmo.org/Pages/Policies_and_Publications/CERCLA_and_Brownfields.htm
Toolbox Organization
Introduction and Purpose of the Toolbox – designed for use by State and Local Community officials who have some level of experience with brownfield redevelopment as well as environmental consultants
Getting Started - commonly asked questions with links to answers within the Toolbox document
Utilizing an Urban Property for Gardening – discusses the importance of an AAI or Phase I Assessment if purchasing the property is part of the plan
Know your Property- how to conduct some of the Phase I type historical reviews easily and inexpensively. This section also talks about U.S. EPA Assessment Grants and State TBA services
Toolbox Organization
Sampling and other Considerations – what potential contaminants urban gardeners should be concerned about. What areas to sample or remediate prior to gardening. What areas to avoid gardening in if sampling/remediation is too costly of an option. Also contains information on direct contact with contaminated soils and uptake of contaminants into common vegetable plants.
Risk Management Practices – provides examples of different zoning and ordinances some cities have employed to ensure that urban gardening is done safely. Also provides information on alternative gardening approaches, such as soil augmentation and raised beds, which help ensure contaminants do not cause harm to gardeners or those who eat the fruits and vegetables.
Common Sense Practices – inexpensive and easy to implement practices, or items, such as properly washing vegetables/fruits and wearing dust masks, that will help ensure the safety of the gardeners and those who eat the fruits and vegetables.
Case Studies
Virginia’s Experience
Almost 10 years ago, the City of Lynchburg requested DEQ evaluate two properties, the Allen Morrison Site and the abandoned Schenkel Greenhouses, now Lynchburg Grows!
An inadequate assessment by others of the greenhouse property lead to tremendous concerns regarding the site conditions and the past use of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides
DEQ’s contractor sampled soil at known locations for RECs and gridded the property, the greenhouses, and a background area then installed monitoring wells
Results indicated initial “bad” data was not reproducible and site contamination was easily manageable for reuse
Good Urban Ag Sites
What makes a good urban ag sites?
Available property in which the risks can be mitigated
The typical logistics such as access, water, storage for equipment, etc
Typically corners of underutilized parks and unused city property
However everything from existing parking lots to landfill property have been used with the proper garden design and appropriate mitigation
Know Your Property
Qualitative
ASTM AAI – VAP Phase 1
Ask the neighbors
Check out Sanborn Maps
Aerial photos
Local libraries
Quantitative
Test soil for proper nutrients and for potential contamination
Sampling strategy will need to be developed and gardeners may need help interpreting the results
Regional Screening Levels provide a bar to measure soil chemical risks
Light Brown vs Dark Brown&
The Good Brown The conditions of previously used property (brownfields)
can vary greatly from heavily contaminated to little to no contamination.
We would urge people to avoid heavily contaminated sites for urban gardening projects or to develop the property with caution and knowledge of what is necessary to mitigate the contamination and decrease risks to users
However with the proper approach many sites will be acceptable
And the “good brown”…that would be fine compost added as a soil amendment or a layer
Soil Testing
#1 Goal - Determine average concentrations across site to evaluate safety of soil for gardening
Chemicals of concern: metals and PAHs are typical and common but there may be others
Used incremental sampling as the best approach to determine average concentrations in soil
The soil may be within acceptable ranges for COCs
However there may be some concerns, how much and what are solutions?
Mitigation or Cleanup or Good to Go?
Original top soil on site prior to gardening
Imported soil used for growing plants in rows and raised beds
Various gardening designs to raise above potential contamination
Don’t forget that pathways, walkways, parking areas, staging areas, etc are exposure points too.
Balancing the EconomicsBalancing the Risks
Samples were collected now what?
Compare data to the DEQ VRP Screening Tables or US EPA regional screening levels (RSLs)
Compare to the Background Data Set if available
Sample results are below these values
Happy Gardening!
Sample results are above these values
Research & understand exceedances
Develop a clean up plan, a mitigation plan, and/or a risk management plan
Commonsense: The Best Precaution
We’ve all faced the questions whether urban gardening is safe
Nearly all property has been used previously
People will garden regardless so its much better to educate and focus their energies
Almost any land can contain some contaminant whether anthropogenic or natural or pathogenic which could pose a degree of risk
So know the site risks & manage the site risks
Most plants do not uptake metals and this is not a large concern for growing
Wash all vegetables and fruit
Minimize incidental ingestion; keep your hands out of your mouth!
Sampling Approaches
Key is to develop a good incremental sampling/analysis
What are you trying to accomplish?
Develop approach that is appropriate for the site and goals
Random sample locations or grid
Discrete or composite samples
BUT make sure to mark locations in case resampling is necessary
Typical Results of Testing Arsenic – very typical as existing natural conditions have arsenic
often exceeding residential standards However arsenic may come from historic pesticide spraying of lead
arsenate sprays or other anthropogenic means
Lead - also very common Lead based paint – drip lines from old or previous structures
Airborne deposition from vehicle emissions
Lead arsenate sprays
PAHs - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon - PAHs occur in oil, coal, and tar deposits, and are produced as byproducts of fuel burning (whether fossil fuel or biomass) benzo[a]pyrene – common and typically more toxic
Seen sediments from road or parking lot runoff
Mercury – by product of coal burning
CCA - Chromated Copper Arsenate - a chemical wood preservative containing chromium, copper and arsenic. CCA is used in pressure treated wood to protect wood from rotting due to insects and microbial agents
Analytical Costs & Tips
Sampling can be expensive so develop plans
Sample for nutrients also
Take sampling in steps
Extra samples can always be taken and then held incase there is a need to run additional samples
Unusual or unexpected sample results should be considered for resampling rather than speculation!
Lasagna and Vertical Gardens
Composting and Zoning
Composting means the process of biological decomposition of solid wastes under controlled conditions.
Compost means a humus-like organic material resulting from biological decomposition of solid waste.
Hoop House
Mansfield Frazier’s Chateau Hough
Bio Swales
The controversial urban yard fowl
Urban Agriculture
Now…Grow Here…!
And Use Commonsense &
Your tools and Knowledge!
J. Meade R. Anderson, CPGBrownfields Program Manager
Virginia Dept of Environmental Quality
804-698-4179