General Program Announcements

BOTW Database Has Documents for Download

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Did you know there are over 30,000 documents available for viewing and downloading on the Bureau for Remediation and Redevelopment Tracking System (BRRTS) on the Web (BOTW) database? BOTW is DNR’s online, public database that provides information about contaminated properties and other activities related to the investigation and cleanup of contaminated soil or groundwater in Wisconsin.

The DNR’s RR Program is adding new documents daily and working toward the goal of having the major reports, approvals and letters for all clean-up case files available online. Contact one of our Regional Environmental Program Associates (EPA) before making any plans or appointments to visit an office to review a file. There is a chance it is now available electronically.

RR Program Successes Highlighted in Agency Report

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Take a bow, RR Program, your FY2015 successes and milestones are front and center in the latest Annual Report from DNR’s Air, Waste, and Remediation and Redevelopment (AWaRe) Division. The 29-page report examines and highlights program successes in customer service, new laws and regulations, emerging and ongoing issues, and measuring program performance.Report Cover

During the reporting period, the RR Program celebrated its 20th anniversary. Since 1995, staff have worked with partners across the state, helping to clean up more than 15,000 brownfield properties and returning more than 20,000 acres back into productive use. The program marked the anniversary by continuing to work with our external advisory partner, the Wisconsin Brownfields Study Group, to create its 2015 Report – Investing in Wisconsin, which outlines proposals that will make a strong program even better.

Other RR notables in the Division Report include updates on major redevelopments in the Fox Valley and Madison, RR efforts to help clean up the former Badger ammo plant, and outreach achievements that help keep our partners and stakeholders informed and involved.

The Division’s commitment to service excellence was demonstrated by the fact that 97% of our customers who completed our survey indicated they were very satisfied or satisfied with the service they received from staff.

This is the AWaRe Division’s final annual report. The Division has merged with several DNR water programs and has formed the new Environmental Management Division.

UW-Whitewater Report Identifies Big Benefits from Brownfield Reclamation

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Since 1998, Wisconsin has invested $121.4 million in the remediation of 703 contaminated properties, according to a recent UW-Whitewater study. The study says this investment leveraged tens of millions of dollars in local and federal incentives, and recouped nearly $1.8 billion from enhanced economic activity. This is a 14-fold return on investment, on top of the public health and environmental benefits generated by these cleanup projects.

The 703 projects that received state assistance are a small, but important, portion of the 15,000-plus state properties that have been cleaned up and put back into productive use over the past 20 years. These brownfield properties were once some of the toughest projects to tackle. They were dilapidated, destitute and, often, significantly contaminated. These properties needed a public push to get going.

The UW-Whitewater study, prepared by the University’s Fiscal and Economic Research Center for the Brownfields Study Group and the Wisconsin Economic Development Institute, calculates that local governments in Wisconsin gain $88.5 million annually from redeveloped brownfields.

The report shows that $1.00 of state funding for brownfields projects leverages $27.25 in total economic growth funding. In other words, $121.4 million from the state has generated $3.3 billion in direct total investment. The report also identified 29,883 direct new and retained permanent jobs related to completed projects in the 703 studied, and says another 9,107 jobs are planned at projects still underway.