Portfolio

Five-Year Reviews and Technical Writing

Remedy Protectiveness Reviews for Hundreds of Superfund Sites Nationwide

As Superfund sites are cleaned up and returned to use, the EPA regularly reviews conditions to make sure remedies remain protective of public health and the environment. Skeo provides the agency with a full-service approach to these five-year reviews – supporting site inspections, interviewing stakeholders, and gathering and analyzing information. Part of the work involves taking into account any major changes in EPA guidance and risk assessment methods. To date, we have supported EPA’s regional offices with over 800 five-year reviews.  

At the Northwest 58th Street Landfill Superfund site in southern Florida, the agency’s revised approach to vapor intrusion meant that an earlier site evaluation was no longer up to date. The agency needed to make sure the site’s vapor intrusion exposure pathway would not pose a potential risk for people in the future.  

Skeo worked with the EPA on the five-year review, conducting a screening-level vapor intrusion risk analysis to look at the protectiveness of the remedy under a range of development scenarios. We led all aspects of the review, evaluating institutional controls and considering all information that could affect the protectiveness of the remedy.  

Our findings indicated that the predicted risk and hazard index for the vapor intrusion pathway were well below the agency’s risk management levels. Contaminant concentrations continue to decline. The comprehensive review led to the agency’s determination that the remedy for the landfill remains protective of public health and the environment.  

Reuse Assessment for the Centredale Manor Superfund Site

The EPA is overseeing a sediment and floodplain soil cleanup along a 1-mile section of the Woonasquatucket River at the Centredale Manor Superfund site in the Rhode Island communities of North Providence and Johnston. The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council is working to expand a greenway trail along the river, improve fish passage, and provide river stewardship and workforce development opportunities. Skeo developed a community-based reuse assessment that aligns future land use, conservation and recreation goals for the river with cleanup plans.  

This support included evaluating suitable trail routes and design options for an environmental center and facilitating discussions among community, local, state and federal agency partners to link cleanup, funding and development timelines. The watershed council, the EPA and other site partners now have a clear road map to guide cleanup and conservation activities. The reuse assessment helped the watershed council and regional partners develop a shared vision and pursue opportunities for increased river access, recreation opportunities and workforce development. The detailed future use plans are also informing cleanup decision making.  

Institutional Control Planning Support

Land use and institutional controls are integral components of Superfund remedy selection and long-term protectiveness. Skeo provides a range of analyses related to institutional control planning, including providing technical research support to identify institutional control requirements, implementation status, mapping and property ownership research, conducting reuse assessments and planning with EPA Regions and stakeholders related to institutional controls and remedy selection as well as stakeholder engagement, and identifying appropriate reuses based on institutional controls.  

At sites in St. Francois County, Missouri, our sitewide analyses identified parcels overlapping source areas where institutional controls were needed to limit uses and guide soil management. Outcomes included maps of source areas and parcels where institutional controls are in place and characterization of property types to address reuse barriers. The analyses helped clarify areas where institutional control limitations apply as well as commercial and industrial areas that are not subject to institutional controls.  

Brownfields Revitalization Planning

North End neighborhoods in Geneva, New York, face challenges of vacancy and disinvestment. Neighborhood identity is fragmented by rail lines, manufacturing and industrial land uses, and perceptions of crime. With funding from the New York Brownfield Opportunity Area Grant program, the city of Geneva retained Skeo and partners to develop a Pre-Nomination Study for the North End neighborhoods. We tailored a process to integrate area needs, market considerations and physical conditions in a targeted revitalization plan. It was accepted as a complete Step 2 BOA Revitalization Plan to advance directly to Step 3 Implementation.  

The market and economic analyses included a unique reverse-site selection approach to identify local assets targeted at end-users. The approach aligned with market needs, helped build community consensus and included a risk mitigation plan that anticipates the reuse of properties. Skeo also developed a supplemental action plan that provides a roadmap for capital improvements, neighborhood initiatives, recreation programming and redevelopment efforts.  

Lead Symposium Logistics and Facilitation

The EPA and California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control were co-hosting a large symposium to raise awareness, share knowledge and develop actionable next steps to mitigate lead risk in southern Los Angeles. As part of this effort, agencies needed to work together on public participation and host an event that would attract community leaders and change makers. Skeo provided coordination, logistics and facilitation support for the symposium. In addition to locating and securing the venue, we created a registration website, produced banners and advertising, and provided staging and A/V support. Our skilled facilitation team worked with presenters to refine slide decks and create a cohesive program.  

On the day of the symposium, Skeo emceed the event and facilitated a community listening session. Our staff worked closely with the project team, handling all the details so the client could navigate the event with ease. Partners appreciated the support and experienced guidance of Skeo’s lead facilitator, who asked challenging questions and kept the project team focused on hosting a successful symposium that shared information with local partners and created space for them to be heard.  

The Recovery and Resiliency Partnership Project

Skeo provided technical assistance to Florida panhandle communities on behalf of the Recovery and Resiliency Partnership Project (R2P2), a multi-agency collaboration to support Gulf Coast communities affected by Hurricane Michael. R2P2 assistance focused on six cities – Mexico Beach, Marianna, Springfield, Parker, Chattahoochee and Quincy. It culminated in a regional planning effort to connect rural towns and broaden outcomes across the Florida panhandle.  

Skeo provided community-driven planning and design services to help each city identify projects to accelerate revitalization and increase resilience to future storm events. Using GIS mapping to create engaging and accessible outreach information, we worked with community members and stakeholders to identify and prioritize revitalization projects. We also engaged R2P2 participants with subject matter expertise, such as staff from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Department of Transportation, to advance project design, funding and implementation planning. The projects highlight and build on each city’s unique character and natural and cultural assets.  

The effort resulted in a range of projects – parks, greenways, Main Street revitalization and streetscapes and mixed-use redevelopment – to enhance quality of life, restore local ecological systems, and protect communities from the economic and physical impacts of future storms. The concept designs and supporting information have provided key content for grant applications and provide insights for potential investors and funders.  

A Community Involvement Plan for the Leviathan Mine Superfund Site

The EPA wanted to strengthen its relationships with the community near the Leviathan Mine Superfund site in Alpine County, California. In particular, the agency sought to engage the Washoe Tribe, a long-standing advocate for the cleanup of the site. The EPA tasked Skeo with creating effective communication tools and providing independent technical support to the Washoe Tribe’s Environmental Department. Through the agency’s Technical Assistance Services for Communities program, we helped the agency develop its Community Involvement Plan for the site. This plan helps communities understand and participate in the Superfund cleanup process. We did background research and interviewed community partners to gather local input. The resulting plan was runner-up for the EPA’s CIP of the Year Award in 2024.  

We also worked with the Washoe Tribe’s Environmental Department to support its understanding of site-related technical documents and activities. Our technical advisor presented in person and virtually at the request of the Tribe on the science behind the contamination and treatment technologies, answered questions from the Tribe, and participated in tours of the Leviathan Mine. Across all of these efforts, our work has supported community education and built trust among project partners.  

Technical Assistance in East Palestine, Ohio

In 2023 and 2024, Skeo provided support to the community of East Palestine, Ohio, through the EPA’s Technical Assistance Services for Communities program after a freight train derailment in February 2023. In the days that followed, federal and state agencies began extensive environmental monitoring, including sampling and monitoring of air, drinking water, surface water, sediment, groundwater and soil. Other studies monitored and assessed potential chemical exposures for residents and responders.  

We provided technical assistance to help East Palestine residents better understand and interpret the large amount of environmental and public health data. Our technical assistance advisors met with village officials to understand their concerns and help them identify potential data gaps. We then developed a comprehensive overview of the data collected and shared its findings with local officials and the community in a report, plain language fact sheets and webinars in December 2023 and September 2024. We also assessed soil sampling data to help village officials decide whether Easter festivities at a local park could proceed as planned.  

Read more about Skeo support provided through the EPA’s TASC program here.  

Graphics and Communications Assistance at the Iron King Mine-Humboldt Smelter Site

In Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona, operations at the Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter left behind large amounts of waste and contaminated materials. In the fall of 2022, the EPA’s site team was preparing to release a Proposed Plan recommending a path forward for cleanup. The agency requested assistance from Skeo for community engagement support.  

Through the EPA’s Technical Assistance Services for Communities program, we created a visually appealing layout for the Proposed Plan using colorful, clear diagrams and detailed site maps. We also developed accessible and engaging posters, fact sheets, flyers, and postcards for public meetings. The materials included QR codes to enhance the public comment process and facilitate fast, reliable communication with the EPA’s site team. By using consistent style and color themes across the materials, we designed a suite of communication products that helped community members easily recognize site-related information.  

As cleanup planning progressed, Skeo created a graphic to help the public understand the soil sampling process in residential yards. After the graphic was well received in the community, we developed another graphic to help the public understand yard cleanups. We also put together age-inclusive resources to provide to the public during an open house with the EPA.  

Technical Assistance Services for the Newtown Creek Community Advisory Group

In Brooklyn and Queens, New York, residents, community organizations, elected officials and others are focused on the cleanup and restoration of Newtown Creek. Centuries of intensive industrial use left behind a legacy of contamination. The EPA, state agencies and city departments are managing the cleanup. Through the EPA’s Technical Assistance Services for Communities program, Skeo has provided technical assistance to the Newtown Creek Community Advisory Group for several years. Our technical advisors provided technical expertise to help its members provide input to share with the agency’s Contaminated Sediments Technical Advisory Group.  

After the EPA issued a Proposed Plan for cleanup, we provided a plain-language overview of the agency’s plan along with comments that community members could share with the agency. Our technical advisors also supported the Newtown Creek Community Advisory Group by participating in meetings with site stakeholders. Looking forward, as more site documents are released, our technical advisors will be on call to provide assistance to support the community’s continued participation in the cleanup process.  

Superfund Job Training Initiative in Nebraska

In 2023, Skeo assisted the EPA’s Superfund Job Training Initiative, providing free job training and valuable workplace certifications to people in Omaha, Nebraska. The City of Omaha requested a bilingual job training program for residents living near the Omaha Lead Superfund site. To meet this goal, we hired a community liaison and advertised on area radio stations and newspapers and social media in English and Spanish. We hosted in-person information sessions about the program in both languages. We provided English and Spanish materials for the training curriculum and provided simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish for participants. We also provided the OSHA-10 training course in both languages.  

All participants in the Omaha Lead Superfund Job Training Initiative completed the program, with several graduates taking cleanup-related positions with site contractors. 

Superfund Redevelopment Mapper

The EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program helps communities reclaim and reuse thousands of acres of formerly contaminated land through an array of tools. To help expand the tools available to communities and interested parties, Skeo supported the development of the agency’s Superfund Redevelopment Mapper. We developed the tool by compiling 21 data sets and incorporating proximity metrics to highlight each site’s key characteristics. A web mapping application for the EPA’s Geoplatform helps maximize functionality and interactivity.  

The result is a user-friendly app that provides users with Superfund site locations, data layers that highlight the characteristics of properties and surrounding areas, and the ability to explore more community information, such as income levels, unemployment numbers and land features. It also provides key information to help interested parties make informed business decisions about land reuse that align with local needs and priorities.  

This GIS-based tool significantly bolsters the ability of local, state and tribal governments, community organizations and developers to explore reusing abandoned lands and revitalize underserved communities on or near once-contaminated Superfund sites. 

Regional Economic Profiles for Superfund Redevelopment

The cleanup and reuse of Superfund sites often restores value to site properties and amenities to surrounding communities negatively affected by contamination. Site redevelopment can revitalize local economies with jobs, new businesses, tax revenues and local spending. Skeo develops annual Regional Economic Profiles for the EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program to highlight the role of Superfund in each EPA Region, and the beneficial economic effects of new and long-time uses at remediated Superfund sites.  

These profiles highlight reuse successes and summarize economic and property value data collected for Superfund sites in each EPA Region. Using established agency-approved methodologies, our economic and property value research gathers the data highlighted in the profiles. We work closely with EPA site teams to gather the reuse information.  

The Regional Economic Profiles are a valuable resource for EPA site teams, property owners, developers and communities. They show how collaboration and cooperation among the EPA and site stakeholders can result in the restoration, reuse and economic revitalization of once-contaminated properties. The profiles’ economic data analysis also answers frequently asked questions and concerns about the impacts of Superfund sites on communities and local property values.  

Chesapeake Bay Gap Analysis with New Green Space Mapping Tool

The Chesapeake Bay Trust sought tools to help meet watershed cleanup goals by identifying gaps in green space in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Funded by the EPA, Skeo supported the development of a mapping tool to help conservation and community organizations identify communities with limited green space. We did a literature and online review to identify potential data sources and precedents. We then worked with an Advisory Group formed by the Chesapeake Conservancy Partnership to identify data sources and metrics for developing maps. We hosted three community listening sessions to provide feedback on the maps.  

This project provided the Chesapeake Conservancy and Chesapeake Bay Program with an app that allows users to turn on relevant layers and base maps as well as import data layers linked to conservation goals. Community and conservation groups have a tool to identify areas in the Chesapeake Bay with limited or no green space, enabling targeted investments that increase green space, supporting the bay’s cleanup.