Skip to main content
Donate

Contaminated Sites Remediation

By Jillian Olivas
June 6, 2013
Support Provided By
nela_contaminatedsites.jpg

The Study Area has several acres of brownfields, often vacant or under-utilized sites, where redevelopment is impeded due to the presence, or perceived presence, of contamination by hazardous materials. Along the riverfront, contaminants are commonly found on properties with a history of heavy industrial use. Heavy rail yards, along with landfill and industrial recycling activities, are a source of land and water contamination. Also, an ageing system of septic tanks within the existing industrially zoned lands may contribute to that contamination.

These brownfields can remain underutilized or abandoned for years because of the significant potential for liability and financial risk for brownfield property owners and financiers. There is a substantial cost to site remediation, but it is possible to surmount these obstacles when the value offered by new uses is sufficient to provide incentive for investment. The continued focus of the City on environmental remediation is essential for human health, but also for redevelopment.

Support Provided By
Read More
Gray industrial towers and stacks rise up from behind the pitched roofs of warehouse buildings against a gray-blue sky, with a row of yellow-gold barrels with black lids lined up in the foreground to the right of a portable toilet.

California Isn't on Track To Meet Its Climate Change Mandates. It's Not Even Close.

According to the annual California Green Innovation Index released by Next 10 last week, California is off track from meeting its climate goals for the year 2030, as well as reaching carbon neutrality by 2045.
By Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
By Emma Foehringer Merchant, Inside Climate News
A Black woman with long, black brains wears a black Chicago Bulls windbreaker jacket with red and white stripes as she stands at the top of a short staircase in a housing complex and rests her left hand on the metal railing. She smiles slightly while looking directly at the camera.

Los Angeles County Is Testing AI's Ability To Prevent Homelessness

In order to prevent people from becoming homeless before it happens, Los Angeles County officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict who in the county is most likely to lose their housing. They would then step in to help those people with their rent, utility bills, car payments and more so they don't become unhoused.
By Marisa Kendall, CalMatters