My Community

Public Health and Environmental Protection for All Arizonans
ADEQ supports equal access, meaningful involvement and fair treatment to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to developing, implementing and enforcing environmental laws, regulations and policies that protect and enhance public health and Arizona’s unique environment.
In addition to My Community, some examples of the tools and resources ADEQ has created to increase accessibility to data, provide notice of opportunities to contribute to decision making, and offer opportunities for individuals and communities to manage their environmental exposures follow:
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Environmental Protection at Arizona’s border with Mexico — Our Border Environmental Protection team is a group of uniquely qualified environmental professionals that work closely with our environmental and public health colleagues in Mexico to improve air quality, the management of solid waste and the quality of surface and groundwater on both sides of Arizona’s border with Mexico. The team also assists other ADEQ programs and community partners to address the unique challenges present along the border including bilingual communication of technical and compliance information, assistance in identifying and applying for border specific grants and facilitating problem solving with state and federal agencies on both sides of the border.
State-to-state collaboration is a primary focus of the team. Through development of the Arizona-Sonora Environmental Strategic Plan, over $1M in grant funding was garnered to implement priority projects in air and water quality and waste management in the region between 2017 and 2021.
The team has been instrumental in implementing environmental improvements for border communities including air quality monitors to assess the impact of air pollution originating from Mexico, an air quality smartphone app (Air Arizona) for Nogales and Yuma, and allocation of over $38M in federal, state and non-profit funding to upgrade the International Outfall Interceptor, which conveys wastewater from Nogales, Sonora, to Rio Rico, Arizona, for treatment. The team also collaborated with U.S. and Mexico partnering agencies to stop intermittent cross-border sewage flows into Naco, Arizona — through repair and replacement of leaking pipes connected to the Naco, Sonora wastewater treatment system, no cross-border sewage flows into Naco, Arizona, have occurred since December 2018 | Learn More > |
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GateWay Community College Respiratory Therapy Student Britain Guliford shares her inspirational story of what motivated her to bring ADEQ's Air Quality Flag Program to GateWay's campus to help protect her fellow students and local community | Watch the Video > |
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Brownfields Assistance Program — Brownfields are abandoned or underutilized properties where reuse is complicated by actual or perceived environmental contamination. ADEQ recognizes the impact these Brownfields can have on a community, particularly properties with unresolved environmental issues. Local governments, non-profits, Tribes and hospitals, schools, and police and fire districts may apply for funding through ADEQ’s Brownfields Assistance Program. As of December 2021, ADEQ has awarded 126 Brownfields Grants throughout the state | View Map > | Watch the Video > | Learn More About Brownfields Grants > |
Tank Site Improvement Program (TSIP) — Legislation passed in 2015 authorized ADEQ to provide financial assistance to underground storage tank (UST) owners, operators and property owners to offset the cost of specific tank site improvements that help prevent or reduce the chance of a future release of petroleum contamination into the environment and future costly cleanup activities. Applications for financial assistance are prioritized based on potential impacts to human health receptors, including schools, childcare centers and medical facilities. The age and construction of the UST system and other site-specific conditions are also considered during prioritization | Learn More About TSIP > |
US EPA Environmental Justice Underground Storage Tank Pilot Project — ADEQ volunteered to help develop and participate in a pilot program with EPA and other states to generate options for potential grant resource allocation changes states can make to advance environmental justice as a priority. The pilot is being designed and will be deployed in calendar year 2022. EPA’s “EJ Screen” tool and Arizona-specific data will be utilized to assess and direct grant resources to communities that meet environmental justice criteria established by the pilot. |
Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund Community Advisory Boards — ADEQ is committed to keeping the public informed and involved in situations where hazardous materials impact the environment. Community involvement activities for WQARF sites are designed to help impacted communities understand the cleanup process and provide input on ADEQ decisions related to cleanup activities in their community. ADEQ facilitates establishment of a Community Advisory Board (CAB), the creation of a Community Involvement Plan (CIP), and issues public notices and holds public meetings designed to provide and receive information. In fiscal year 2021 alone, ADEQ completed 31 public notices and meetings to share site updates and to provide an opportunity for local communities to share their thoughts on WQARF site activities | View Map > | Learn More > |
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Data are updated semi-annually