The Westside Sac IRWM recently secured a $467,000 grant from the US EPA Brownfields Assessment Program to help clean up our watershed! Brownfields are lands that have been contaminated by industrial processes, which pose significant public health risks to our community and environmental threats to our ecosystems.

Mining for mercury was an important industry in the Cache and Putah Creek watersheds, from the Gold Rush through the Industrial Revolution. These activities left behind many mine‐scarred sites. Exposure to uncontrolled toxins on these sites and downstream can harm human and wildlife health.

The Project has three major goals:

1. Increase public understanding of brownfields and their land use issues.

2. Inventory and assess mine‐scar brownfield sites in the community.

3. Prioritize mine‐scarred site improvements, consistent with regional plans.

We hired a local consulting team – led by McCord Environmental, Inc. – to help with this three‐year project. The brownfields team will first identify all of the mine‐scarred sites within the IRWM region (the Cache and Putah Creek watersheds). Then, we will work with local community leaders and experts to prioritize sites for remediation on based on current environment impacts and future benefits of cleanup. Mine‐scarred lands affect everyone in our community.

Visit the new project web page. Join our Network of Engaged Stakeholders!