LA Sanitation and Environment (LASAN)'s Citywide Brownfields Program has been awarded a $500,000 EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant for the Paseo del Rio project area that encompasses 6.1 acres within the 42-acre former Taylor Yard rail property.
"We are thankful that the EPA continues to partner with Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment as we work to revitalize this vital stretch of the Los Angeles River for beneficial use for the entire community," said Enrique C. Zaldivar, LASAN Executive Director and General Manager, "Reclaiming brownfields is important work for LASAN, and each piece of the entire Taylor Yard property plays a key role in improving LA's water quality and enhancing our natural biodiversity."
Acquired by the City of Los Angeles in 2017, the Paseo del Rio project area borders the LA River located within the Greater Cypress Park neighborhood 3 miles northeast of downtown LA. This grant will be used to clean up the site as the next step in transforming it from a major multi-decade source of blight into a combined public green space, recreational amenity, and restored habitat area that will serve as an exceptional community and LA River watershed asset.
This project is part of an ongoing effort to transform the entire former rail yard. Cleanup of the Paseo del Rio portion is critical as it is an area of the former rail yard with some of the highest contamination levels. It is also the area selected for achieving a key community goal of providing “early access” for the public. Redevelopment of Paseo Del Rio and the former rail yard property as a whole are key components of the LA River Ecosystem Restoration (LARER) project being undertaken by the City and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to restore 11 miles of the LA River.