EPA Pacific Southwest - Region 9

Federal Agencies Reduce Waste

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the Drug Enforcement Administration's Western Laboratory were recently honored with Federal Green Challenge awards for their accomplishments in reducing waste. The park's overall recycling rate is 76%. The DEA's Lab increased its electronics recycling more than any other federal agency in 2014.

• KHON2: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Wins EPA Award Exit
• Recycling Today: EPA Recognizes DEA's Electronics Recycling Efforts Exit
• About the Federal Green Challenge

Jobs and Environmental Cleanups for Communities

EPA recently announced that 147 communities will receive grants totaling $54.3 million in Brownfields funding. These funds will aid economically disadvantaged communities and businesses in becoming more stable through the assessment and cleanup of abandoned industrial and commercial properties.

• San Francisco Appeal: EPA Awards $600,000 in Grants to Clean Up SF Exit
• C&D Recycler.com: EPA Invests $54 Million in Contaminated Site Cleanups Exit
• Brownfields 2015 Grants

Improving Water Quality in San Francisco Bay

EPA is providing $1.6 billion in Clean Water Act State Revolving Funds – the largest single block of such financing ever issued – to upgrade the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. The project will bring the wastewater plant to advanced treatment levels, removing nearly 95% of ammonia from wastewater discharges to protect the Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary.

• Sacramento Bee: Sacramento County's Biggest Public Works Project Exit
• Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District: Groundbreaking Photos Exit
• San Francisco Bay Delta Watershed
• Clean Water Act State Revolving Fund