What is the Open Dump Cleanup Project?

The Open Dump Cleanup Project is a multi-agency commitment to help tribes throughout

Indian Country close open dumps, clean up waste on tribal land, and develop safe solid

waste management practices. Federal agency cooperative efforts initially have focused on

helping tribes close or upgrade high-threat waste disposal sites. Assistance, however, goes

beyond the simple closure or upgrading of the waste sites. The federal partners will make

resources available to help tribes develop and

implement comprehensive programs for

managing solid waste and developing alternatives to disposal. Assistance may include

funding for training, technical assistance,

planning, implementation, closure, and postclosure activities.

Officials from EPA, the Department of

Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs, the

Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service, the Department of Health and Human

Service’s Indian Health Service (IHS), and the Department of Defense are the primary

agencies involved.

How big is the open dump problem on Indian lands?

Nationwide, about 1,100 open dumps scar Indian lands, with 142 dumps considered

“high-threat” sites, according to a 1998 report to Congress by the IHS. There still are

more open dumps in Indian Country that have not yet officially been counted. If left

unchecked, the sites could cause health problems for Native Americans living near these

pollution sources. They also pose risks to the environment itself. To clean up or upgrade

all the sites, IHS estimates it could cost $126 million.

What has the multi-agency, Tribal Open Dump

Cleanup Project accomplished?

Tribes have used multi-agency funding to: close open dumps; develop integrated solid

waste management plans; establish alternative solid waste management options, including

waste reduction and recycling programs and financing transfer stations; improve enforcement

of illegal dumping regulations and ordinances; and provide public education, especially to

children. As illustrated in the success stories below, building partnerships with local, regional,

and national organizations and federal agencies proved a key component of program success.

Who is eligible to participate in the program?

The Open Dump Cleanup Project is open to applicants from all federally recognized

tribes and Alaskan Native villages. For more information or to obtain a grant solicitation

package, visit EPA’s Web site at <www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/tribal/finance.htm>, or

contact Tonya Hawkins at 703 308-8278 or Chris Dege at 703 308-2392.

Open Dump Cleanup

Project Helps

Tribes Fight Waste

What Are Open Dumps?

Open dumps are areas where waste is

disposed of without proper controls,

including regular application of cover,

controlled access to the site, and other

environmental controls.

T

he following agencies

signed an agreement in

August 2000 to assist

Indian tribes and Alaska

Native villages with the

cleanup or closing of

dangerous open solid waste

dumps on their land:

Environmental Protection

Agency

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Indian Health Service

USDA’s Rural Utilities Service

Department of Defense

Housing and Urban

Development

United States 

Environmental Protection

Agency

Solid Waste and Emergency

Response (5306W)

EPA530-F-03-005

March 2003

www.epa.gov/epaoswer/nonhw/tribal/finance.htm
Pueblo of Taos

Taos, New Mexico

The Pueblo of Taos used federal grants to close its 5.4-acre

open dump, identified by IHS as a high-threat site. For years, the

tribe used the dump to deposit household solid waste. The dump

existed near the tribal population, the Rio Pueblo River, and a

bison herd. The grant funding enabled the Pueblo of Taos to cap

its open dump, provide post-closure maintenance and monitoring,

establish a transfer station and curbside collection service, and

provide community outreach. The tribe implemented a solid

waste management plan in conjunction with the open dump closure activities in order to prevent the degradation of wetlands and

to protect the Pueblos’ bison herd.

To cap the open dump, the tribe used a clay liner, a 18-inch

infiltration layer, and a 6-inch soil erosion layer. The cover soil

was hauled to the site because onsite soils were not adequate to

meet permeability requirements. The final cover was seeded with

native dryland grass. With surface slopes less than 5 percent and

surface vegetation growth, the potential for soil erosion is minimal. For post-closure maintenance and monitoring, sampling

wells were drilled and drive points set to trap water flows down

gradient from the dump. Currently, the tribe is monitoring

groundwater for contaminants.

To assess the effects of a transfer station or curbside collection

service, the tribe is monitoring illegal dumping activity. The Taos

Pueblo Utility Service Board held public meetings, gave presentations at schools, and conducted community surveys. A waste

drop-off point was designated and an attendant hired to assist the

public during waste drop-offs. The waste is transported by Waste

Management to a nearby disposal facility. Presently, a solid waste

transfer station is being constructed, which will provide an alternative to tribal solid waste open dumping in the future.

The tribe worked as a team, with several federal agencies and

the All-Indian Pueblo Council, a consortium of 19 federally recognized tribes, to successfully close the 5.4-acre dump. IHS provided technical assistance and prepared plans and specifications

for the dump closure. EPA developed a solid waste open dump

closure/post-closure guidance document, provided technical assistance, and reviewed all documents regarding the cover and postclosure final plan. By working together to close the open dump

and develop alternative solid waste management options, the

team helped protect the health of the community and prevent

environmental damage to wetlands, the aquifer, and the Pueblos’

bison herd.

For further information contact Anan Tanbouz, P.E. at EPA

Region VI at 214 665-8195.

White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians

Mahnomen, Minnesota

The White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians used a Tribal

Open Dump Cleanup Project grant to clean up the Cherry Lake

Road dump site on its reservation. This highly visible and well

known illegal dump site spanned a 4.5-mile stretch of Cherry

Lake Road. According to Monica Hedstrom, the general assistance program coordinator for the White Earth Natural

Resources Department, the tribe put the Cherry Lake Road

cleanup out for bid. The tribe was pleased when a contractor

submitted a bid that was significantly lower than what it

had anticipated.

All types of waste were removed from the site, ranging from

common household trash to large items such as furniture,

appliances, and tires. The contractor used heavy equipment to

remove the large items, and the tribe hired local residents to

pick up the remaining items by hand. One consequence of

using heavy equipment in the cleanup was the destruction of

vegetation along the roadside. At this point the Minnesota

Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) stepped up, donating 1,000 trees to beautify the area and prevent erosion.

Building upon the success of this effort, the tribe began

working with MDNR, the three surrounding counties, and private groups to organize three demonstration cleanup projects

(one in each county). The partners selected high-profile sites,

such as one site located next to a church, and worked together

to clean them up. These projects demonstrated the commitment

of the tribe and its neighbors to solving the reservation’s illegal

dumping problem.

The council also used the grant funds to improve service at

its five solid waste satellite transfer stations. In the past, many

residents felt the user fees were too high and the stations were

not staffed reliably. With the grant money, the tribal council

evaluated the fee schedule for the stations and established

prices more conducive to residents. The council also developed

and advertised a fixed schedule where each of the five satellite

stations is open one day a week. Water lines, wells, and septic

tanks also were installed at each site to allow the stations to be

staffed continually.

Since the cleanups and the improvements to the transfer station, most of the illegal dump sites have remained clean, and

residents are much more aware of the illegal dumping problem.

According to Monica Hedstrom there has been a noticeable

increase in the use of the waste pickup service and satellite

transfer stations by reservation residents.

For further information contact Dolly Tong at EPA Region V

at 312 886-1019.

Open Dump Cleanup Success Stories