Mission

In 1995, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), established the 128 (a) Tribal Response Program (TRP)/Brownfields.  The Brownfields Program is being utilized for environmental restoration, it ensures the protection of the Yankton Sioux Tribe's natural resources by investigating the reservation for illegal or abandoned sites that might compromise the public health and environment. The definition of a Brownfields site is:  "real property, the expansion, redevelopment or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." 

Brownfields is based on four elements of implementation:

1.  Timely survey and Inventory of Brownfield sites on tribal lands.
2.  Oversight and Enforcement authorities or other mechanisms and resources.
3.  Mechanisms and resources to provide meaningful opportunities for public participation.
4.  Mechanisms for approval of a cleanup  plan and verification and certification that cleanup is complete. 

Brownfields is designed to empower tribes, states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely cleanup, and reuse brownfields.  It provides financial and technical assistance for brownfields revitalization, including grants for environmental assessment, cleanup, and job training.  

Brownfields conducts:  Phase I Assessments - record searches of property, Phase II Assessments - soil, ground water, and asbestos testing, Cleanup plans and cost estimates can be developed, and in certain circumstances - removal and cleanup of identified contamination.

To date:  The YST Brownfields Program has 5 sites on the Site Inventory List
1.  Former Guest House - located on the Marty Indian School Campus
2.  St. Joseph's Dormitory - located on the Marty Indian School Campus
3.  St. Katherine's Administration Building - located on the Marty Indian School Campus
4.  Former YST Administration Building - located North of the Marty Indian School Campus
5.  Pacelli House - located on the Marty Indian School Campus

The U.S. EPA has accepted the Former Guest House as a Brownfields 128 (a) project.  



The History of the Former Guest House (FGH):  St. Paul's Mission was established first in 1911 and assigned a resident priest in 1921.  Being reliant upon money from the church and donors, the mission and school buildings were erected piecemeal as resources were available.  This site was once used for St. Paul's Mission staff and later, in 1975, when the Church transferred ownership and operations of the Mission to the Yankton Sioux Tribe, St. Paul's Mission became known as Marty Indian School and the Former Guest House became utilized for M.I.S. staff housing.  In June of 2010, Marty was struck by a flood and the FGH basement was filled with water along with submerging a foot of the buildings first level.  The building was vacated and has remained unoccupied since.  

In the fall of 2013, U.S. EPA Region 8 conducted a Targeted Brownfields Phase I and a limited Phase II Assessment (ESA) on the Former Guest House.  The Phase I Environmental Site Assessment and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments were completed on December 31, 2013.  The Assessments complied with ASTM E 1527-05 for Phase I and ASTM E 1903-11.

On September 30, 2015, the Former Guest House abatement and demolition was completed.  After 3 years, the Yankton Sioux Tribe Environmental Protection departments Brownfields program now has a clean-site.  The YST Brownfields Former Guest House project was highlighted in the WB Wire for 2015.  Here is the article:

Yankton Sioux Tribe Completes A Momentous Cleanup Project.

October 1st marked the three year anniversary of the Yankton Sioux Tribe Environmental Department's Tribal Response Program (TRP) as well as the completion of their first environmental cleanup using EPA 128(a) brownfields TRP funds.  The TRP's brownfields site inventory includes fives sites of which four are located on the Marty Indian School campus including the Former Guest House as their first cleanup project to get momentum started for addressing other more challenging sites on the Marty Indian School campus. Founded in 1924, formerly known as the St. Paul's Indian Mission School, Marty Indian School is a K-12 boarding school that currently has about 200 students with 42 students residing in the campus dormitories.  The Former Guest House has been vacant since 2010; however, the two story wood-frame building was formerly used to house Marty Indian School staff.  The clenaup addressed asbestos containing material, lead based paing, mercury switches, PCB lights, mold and lead in the soil.  The TRP demonstrated hard work and perseverance with coordinating with the school, neighborhood, cleanup contractor, tribal historic preservation office and their finance office.  With their first cleanup completed, YST is prepared for their next cleanup on a nearby property on the Marty Indian School Campus.

Asbestos Flyer.docx 

Exposure to Lead Based Paint Brochure.docx