General Program Announcements

Certificate of Completion Issued for Large Madison Brownfield

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Sign at Royster Clark Property with contact information and list of financial supporters.

The Royster Clark project benefited from several financial incentives including the DNR’s Ready for Reuse program.

After more than 200 environmental reports and approvals over the course of ten years, the Wisconsin DNR issued a final Certificate of Completion for the former Royster-Clark facility in Madison. The Certificate of Completion was issued in March 2017 when the Wisconsin DNR approved the final investigation and remedial action and provided a liability exemption through the Voluntary Party Liability Exemption (VPLE) program.

The 27 acre Royster-Clark facility was once a fertilizer factory operating from 1952 until it closed in 2006. In 2011, Ruedebusch Development and Construction (RDC), a Madison-based real estate developer, purchased the property and took on the task of cleanup and redevelopment of the unique project.

The cleanup included contamination from leaking underground storage tanks and the excavation of more than 50,000 tons of nitrogen-contaminated soil removed from the site. The property went through extensive meetings, planning and approvals from the neighborhood association and the city of Madison. The redevelopment, some of which is already complete, includes affordable housing, market rate apartments, and commercial development, including a new public library branch and potential grocery store. The project also includes 50+ lots ready for single family homes.

The cleanup project benefited from several financial incentives including the Wisconsin DNR’s Ready for Reuse program, which is funded through a RLF brownfields grant from the EPA, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation grants, and funding from the city of Madison.

NR 700 Submittals Now Accepted by Email

Posted on by Zachary Teicher

The Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program is taking steps toward making site file records available electronically via BRRTS on the Web (BOTW).

To assist with this goal, the program encourages consultants to submit NR 700 milestone documents via email to a regional email address and to the project manager instead of submitting a CD or DVD. The RR Program reminds consultants that both electronic and hard copy submittals are required (as well as the fee, if applicable) before submittals are considered “received” by the department. Documents can either be provided as an email attachment or uploaded to the RR Program’s FTP site (if the files are over 12 megabytes). NR 700.11(3g) allows the department to issue this blanket pre-approval for email submittals.

Updated guidance on electronic submittals can be found in Guidance for Electronic Submittals for the Remediation and Redevelopment Program (RR-690) [PDF]

By following the recommendations in the submittal guidance, consultants will help RR staff identify and review documents in a timely manner.

FY 16-17 Remediation and Redevelopment Program 128(a) Mid-Year Report Complete

Posted on by Zachary Teicher
Mid Year Report 128a FY 16-17 Cover

The DNR submits reports twice a year to EPA on the use of brownfields grant funds to enhance its state response program and to fulfill public record requirements.

The RR Program’s mid-year report to the EPA, which details outputs and outcomes funded by a federal grant, is now available for review. The Section 128(a) Grant Mid-Year Report, for the reporting period of September 1, 2016 to February 28, 2017, highlights work completed in the first half of the funding year.

Since 2003, the RR Program has consistently and efficiently used these funds under a cooperative agreement with the EPA to enhance state efforts with brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. Previous reports can be found on the Brownfields Program web page.

 

New Guidance Documents Now Available on Managing Contaminated Soil and other Wastes

Posted on by Zachary Teicher

The RR Program recently finalized four new guidance documents regarding the management of contaminated soil and other waste materials excavated at sites or facilities in locations other than a licensed landfill.

This guidance is the culmination of several years of discussion between the RR Program and external stakeholders, including more than 20 individuals who served on the program’s Contaminated Materials Management Advisory Group and other interested parties who also participated in meetings. The group was formed in May 2015 and met more than a dozen times to provide input on issues related to materials management. The RR Program thanks those who participated for sharing their time and perspective.

These new guidance documents include:

  • RR-060, Management of Contaminated Soil and Other Solid Wastes Wis. Admin. Code §§ NR 718.12 and NR 718.15, provides a general overview of the exemptions available under NR 718 for managing excavated material, a description of when these exemptions may apply, and a summary of the application process and requirements.
  • RR-071, NR 718.12 Sample Results Notification, provides a cover page that may be used when submitting laboratory reports to the DNR to satisfy the requirements of NR 718.12(1)(e)(4).
  • RR-072, Recommended Format for Exemption Request Wis. Admin Code NR 718.12 or NR 718.15, provides a consistent format to demonstrate that the proposed management of solid waste material, as a remedial or interim action, qualifies for a NR 718.12 or NR 718.15 exemption and to request written approval of the exemption from the DNR.
  • RR-073, Request for Exemption from Location Criteria of NR 718.12(1)(c) for Managing Soil as an Immediate Action, provides a format to request that the DNR allow management of soil, as an immediate action, in an area that will not comply with the location criteria listed in NR 718.12(1)(c).

Contact Paul Grittner at (608) 266-0941 or paul.grittner@wisconsin.gov regarding questions related to these documents.

February 8, 2017 Issues & Trends: Environmental Issues for Demolition

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The RR Program’s February webinar will provide answers to common questions related to the management of demolition related materials, including asbestos, PCB containing material, lead based paints and hazardous building components that commonly contain mercury and other compounds of concern. The presentation will focus on processes and recommendations for successful demolition project coordination.

Ed Lynch, Hazardous Waste Section Chief, will provide an overview of requirements for managing hazardous materials as part of renovation and demolition projects. The DNR’s Asbestos Coordinator Mark Davis and Mark Chamberlain, Air Management Specialist, will provide an overview on Wisconsin Administrative Code NR 447 “Control of Asbestos Emissions.” When facilities are undergoing renovation or demolition and asbestos containing materials could be disturbed, the requirements of the EPAs National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS) apply. The presentation will discuss the asbestos inspection, notification, and disposal requirements for demolition/renovations projects involving commercial/industrial facilities.

This overview will provide information on permits, DNR approval and reporting requirements, as well as information on contacting the DNR for assistance when questions arise during the completion of demolition work.

Date: February 8, 2017 Time: Noon – 1:00 p.m. Join by phone: 1-855-947-8255, passcode: 6612 745# Questions in advance can be sent to DNRRRComments@wisconsin.gov

The presentation notes for this teleconference will be available soon on the RR Program Training Page. The audio will be available in the training library shortly after the conclusion of the teleconference.

A schedule of future Issues & Trends events is also available in the Training Library, along with recordings of previous presentations.

Prepared Workbook: Process for Risk Evaluation, Property Analysis and Reuse Decisions

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The Prepared Workbook for Brownfields and Land Revitalization from the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) is a risk management framework for evaluating various actions that a local government might take to bring about a desired reuse at contaminated properties that it does not currently own.

The workbook is available now from the CDFA and is a good resource for municipal officials who are looking to clean up and redevelop contaminated property.

 

Temporary groundwater monitoring wells

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

Temporary wells have become increasingly common as part of site investigations and Phase II environmental site assessments. Although temporary wells can be useful tools, they have limitations in their use. It is critical that temporary wells are properly installed to ensure the integrity of the results and that they are adequately protected to avoid becoming a conduit for contaminant migration.

Installation of temporary wells requires prior approval from the department, as described in s. NR 141.29, Wis. Adm. Code. In addition, compliance with Ch. NR 141 is required for all wells installed for the purposes of Ch. 292, Wis. Stats. This means all monitoring wells installed for site investigations and Phase II reports submitted to the department must meet the NR 141 requirements, which includes prior department approval for temporary wells.

To avoid incurring additional costs and unneeded project delays, refer to the DNR guidance on the appropriateness and limitations of temporary wells, publication RR-647, “Fact Sheet of Frequently Asked Questions about Temporary Wells“.

 

Register Now for Consultants’ Day 2017

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

Registration is now open for Consultants’ Day 2017, hosted by the DNR’s Remediation and Redevelopment Program. Our events this year will be held in two locations: the Stevens Point Holiday Inn Convention Center on April 12 and at the Country Springs Conference Center in Pewaukee on April 20. Presentation content will be the same at each location.

This popular event sold out in 2015; space is limited at both events again this year. Early registration is available until March 19.

  •  Who should attend? Environmental consultants, developers and anyone else interested in technical aspects of contaminated land cleanup.
  •  What’s on the agenda? Guests will learn the ins-and-outs of case closure, vapor intrusion, post-closure modifications and more. We also have “conversation corners” and other chances to meet with project managers and topic experts.

We are working with UW-Stevens Point to provide continuing education credits and will provide more information as it becomes available.

Questions? Please contact Mick Skwarok at 608-266-9263.

 

Free Webinar – Leveraging Resources for Brownfields Revitalization: Meet the Funders – Parks, Community Health, and the Arts February 28, 2017

Posted on by Zachary Teicher

Brownfield grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are one of many sources of funds that can support redevelopment of contaminated sites. This webinar will highlight a number of redevelopment resources available from the National Park Service (NPS), The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to leverage your brownfield dollars.

The webinar will also feature a presentation from a community that has successfully used grants, loans and other support from these agencies for its revitalization efforts. It is the fourth in OBLR’s webinar series on what communities need to know to successfully leverage resources for brownfields revitalization. Register online.

2017 Informational Papers from Legislative Fiscal Bureau Available Now

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Informational papers from the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau are now online. The nearly-100 documents updated for 2017 cover a range of topics from general fund taxes to justice to transportation. Included in the revised documents under Environmental Programs are two from Remediation and Redevelopment: Contaminated Lands and Brownfields Cleanup and Petroleum Environmental Cleanup Fund Award (PECFA) Program.

 Printed copies of these and other papers are available in limited quantities from the Fiscal Bureau office at One East Main Street, Suite 301, in Madison. If you’d like five or more copies of a specific, please contact the Bureau at 608-266-3847 to make arrangements for those copies.