General Program Announcements

Issues & Trends: An Alternative for Determining Soil RCLs for PAHs

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On October 4, 2017, please join the RR Program for a teleconference discussion of the RCL spreadsheet and a substitute method of calculating alternative non-industrial direct-contact residual contaminant levels (RCLs) for select carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cPAHs).

Waste management specialist Paul Grittner and hydrogeologist David Swimm, both with the RR Program, will discuss the modified soil RCL spreadsheet which can be used to attain compliance when the applicable cPAH direct contact RCLs in NR 720 is not practicable. The spreadsheet changes how non-industrial direct contact RCLs for seven cPAHs are assessed. The spreadsheet evaluates cPAH compounds on a cumulative basis only, rather than on an individual compound basis and a cumulative basis.

This approach is allowed under NR 722, but the DNR’s pre-approval is required prior to implementation. Paul and David’s presentation will focus on the process recommended for assessing PAH data using the modified soil RCL spreadsheet, as well as the DNR pre-approval process.

The teleconference will take place at noon on Oct. 4. No pre-registration is required. Call 1-855-947-8255 and use passcode 6612 745#. This presentation will be recorded and available the following day on the RR Program’s Training Library.

FY 2018 EPA Brownfields Grant Application Guidelines Released

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The FY 2018 application guidelines for EPA’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup grants have been released by the Office of Land and Emergency Management. Proposals are due to EPA by November 16, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

These federal grants are available for the assessment and cleanup of brownfield properties.

For assistance with applying for a FY 2018 Brownfields Grant, contact your regional EPA representative or the Region 5 Technical Assistance to Brownfield (TAB) provider, KSU. TAB can provide free review of your draft EPA Assessment and Cleanup proposals. Please give TAB a one-week heads-up that you will be sending a draft to review. It generally takes TAB a few days to get the proposals back to you. Please contact Blase Leven (785-532-0780) to reserve your spot.

To find out how to get a DNR letter of support and other useful information, visit the DNR Federal brownfield grants web page.

Pittsville, Edgerton receive DNR brownfield awards

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MADISON – Two Wisconsin communities stand to benefit from Department of Natural Resources brownfields awards to assist with the investigation of historic contamination.

Pittsville and Edgerton received Wisconsin Assessment Monies (WAM) from the DNR for contractor services worth a combined $45,000. Administered by the DNR Remediation and Redevelopment Program, WAM awards provide communities with professional environmental site assessments of contaminated properties.

“The work will help the communities better understand the contaminated areas in question, leading to potential job growth, retention and economic development,” said Christine Haag, DNR brownfields section chief.

Continue reading “Pittsville, Edgerton receive DNR brownfield awards” →

Updates to RR Program Guidance on Submitting Documents; Advice on Using Fillable PDF Forms

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As the Remediation and Redevelopment Program strives to make site file records available electronically through its online resource, BRRTS on the Web (BOTW), we’ve updated our guidance for consultants to submit those records in the most timely and effective ways possible.

The Guidance for Submitting Documents to the Remediation and Redevelopment Program (RR-690) includes a number of updates. Consultants are encouraged to review the updated guidance. By following the recommendations in the guidance, consultants will help RR staff identify and review submittals in a timely manner.

If you have questions on how to submit documents to the RR Program, please contact a regional RR Program Environmental Program Associate (EPA).

The RR Program also reminds consultants that when saving or editing Program forms to use Adobe Acrobat software. This is especially important if the form will need to be edited before submitting to the DNR. You can download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free at https://get.adobe.com/reader/.

Open House “Q & A” on New Vapor Intrusion Guidance

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The Remediation and Redevelopment Program will host a two-hour “Q & A” regarding the agency’s new guidance on vapor intrusion. The open house event will take place on Tuesday, August 29, in Madison, and via teleconference at the same time.

The guidance – RR-800 – is currently available for written public comment through the DNR’s “proposed program guidance” web page; comment on the document will be accepted through September 8, 2017.

Subjects discussed during the “Q & A” session will not take the place of written comments on the document. Rather, the opportunity is meant to help further clarify the material for those who may have questions about the content, with hope of alleviating potential erroneous comments.

Details of the vapor intrusion “Q & A” open house are:

  • Date: Tuesday, August 29
  • Time: 9:00 – 11:00 CST
  • Location: DNR Central Office, Room G-09, 101 S. Webster St., Madison, WI 53707
  • Conference Call Number: 1-855-947-8255, Passcode: 6612745#

Vapor intrusion team leader Alyssa Sellwood and Policy and Technical Resources Section Chief Judy Fassbender will be available to answer questions and clarify issues for participants.

If you plan to attend in person, please notify Alyssa Sellwood by the close of the business day on Monday, August 28, so that building security can be prepared for your arrival.

PECFA: Tracker on the Web Discontinues and Other Important Updates

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Tracker on the Web will be Discontinued Labor Day Weekend; Replaced by Password-Protected Website

Tentatively scheduled to take place on September 1, 2017, the Wisconsin DNR’s Remediation and Redevelopment Program will discontinue the online application, Tracker on the Web. The aging technology that currently supports Tracker on the Web will no longer be maintained by the State.

Continue reading “PECFA: Tracker on the Web Discontinues and Other Important Updates” →

Brownfields Study Group Meeting September 15

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The Brownfields Study Group will meet on September 15 in West Bend. This group was created roughly 20 years ago at the behest of the Legislature to help the DNR develop solutions and strategies to increase the number of contaminated properties that were cleaned up and returned to productive use. The group meets regularly and has members from the private sector, local governments, non-profits and others.

For an agenda and other meeting details, please contact Mick Skwarok, (608) 266-9263.

New Instructions for RR Program’s FTP Site for Electronic Submittals of Large Files

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The Remediation and Redevelopment Program’s FTP site for submitting large (>12 MB) electronic files recently experienced technical difficulties. The site is back online, but with new instructions for submitting large files. Please use the following instructions.

To upload files larger than 12 MB to the regional folder on the RR FTP site:

  1. Open the following link in your browser: https://ftp.wi.gov/submittals/
  2. You will be asked for a User Name and Password
  3. Enter User Name dnr-rraccess
  4. Enter any password you want (Note: You cannot leave the Password blank)
  5. Navigate to the appropriate regional folder
  6. Use the Upload tool to load files to the ftp site

These new instructions are detailed in the guidance document RR 690, “Guidance for Electronic Submittals for the Remediation and Redevelopment Program.”

 

Issues & Trends Conference Call Scheduled for September 6

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Alyssa Sellwood, the Remediation and Redevelopment Program’s vapor intrusion and dry-cleaning team leader, will present our Issues & Trends conference call in September. Alyssa will discuss vapor intrusion sampling, including a discussion of action triggers, mitigation and long-term monitoring.  

Date: Wednesday, September 6
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Phone number: 1-855-947-8255
Passcode: 6612745#

The conference call will be recorded and available for playback via the Program’s training library for those who are unable to participate during the above time.

No pre-registration is required.  

 

New and Improved: RR Report Now Web-based

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Newsfeed Screen ShotWelcome to the new RR Report! In August, the RR Program’s RR Report changed from a static, PDF-based publication into a new, online newsfeed. The move represents the Program’s continuing commitment to outreach and communication.

The new RR Report offers greater functionality beyond the static version. It is searchable by category, tag or by key words or phrases. As we add new content to the site, the search feature will grow more robust. We hope that subscribers will appreciate the significant upgrades that this newsfeed format provides.

Our new site also offers the opportunity to post items more frequently than ever before. If you’re a frequent reader of the RR Report, you can visit the page whenever you like and see new content as it is posted here: https://rr-report.blogs.govdelivery.com/. We will notify subscribers every few weeks of posts that occurred during that time; we may occasionally alert readers to time-sensitive posts.

As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions regarding the RR Report. Please contact Mick Skwarok via email or by phone at 608-266-9263.