General Program Announcements

Brownfield Fundamentals On-Demand Webinars Available; Registration for Brownfields Fundamentals Panel Discussions Open

Posted on by Jodie Thistle

Action by local communities is often the key to cleaning up and redeveloping brownfield sites. The DNR has new resources available for communities interested in revitalizing brownfields, but aren’t sure where to start or need financial resources to make it happen.

Brownfields Fundamentals On-Demand Webinars
Interested in learning how cleaning up brownfields can help your community? The DNR’s series of on-demand Brownfields Fundamentals webinars cover brownfields planning, cleanup, liability, and other topics as part of a well-rounded crash course in Wisconsin brownfields redevelopment. Topics include:

Brownfields Fundamentals on-demand webinars are available on the RR Program’s Presentations and Trainings webpage.

Brownfields Fundamentals Panel Discussions Sept. 15, 2022

9:30 – 11 a.m. Brownfields Assistance: Boosting Redevelopment with Fresh Funds A panel of experts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and the Kansas State University Technical Assistance for Brownfields program will join the DNR to discuss brownfields financial assistance available to Wisconsin local governments, with an emphasis on federal infrastructure funding.

1:30 – 3 p.m. Local Governments and Brownfields: Best Practices and Lessons Experienced staff from four Wisconsin communities – Calumet County and the cities of Prairie du Chien, Manitowoc, and Appleton – will share best practices and lessons learned while navigating brownfield redevelopment projects.

Register on the RR Program’s Presentations and Trainings webpage.

Now Available: Publication RR-0136, Guidance: Wisconsin Vapor Quick Look-Up Table

Posted on by Jodie Thistle

Updated publication RR-0136, Guidance: Wisconsin Vapor Quick Look-Up Table, is now posted and available online.

The document can be found on the Vapor Intrusion for Environmental Professionals webpage. Additional documents and guidance from the Remediation and Redevelopment Program may be found using the search tools available on the publications and forms webpage.

The document lists select volatile organic compounds frequently encountered at remediation sites; it is updated periodically based on updates to inhalation toxicity data. Consultants should compare vapor data for open sites to the updated table for potential additional actions and should routinely reference the webpage for the most recent version.

The basis for the U.S. EPA Regional Screening Levels were updated in May 2022; the update does not include revisions to action or screening levels.

Consultants should compare vapor data for chemicals not available on Wisconsin’s Vapor Quick Look-Up Table directly to the U.S. EPA’s Vapor Intrusion Screening Level Calculator; instructions are included on Wisconsin’s Vapor Quick Look-Up Table.

Site-specific questions regarding vapor intrusion in Wisconsin should be directed to the assigned DNR project manager. General questions can be directed to the contacts listed on the DNR’s Vapor Intrusion Resources for Environmental Professionals webpage.

Public Input Opportunity – Five-Year Review Of The Lauer 1 Landfill/Boundary Road Superfund Site

Posted on by Jodie Thistle

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is now seeking input on the Five-Year Review of the Lauer 1 Landfill/Boundary Road (BRL) Superfund Site and the potential formation of a Community Advisory Group for the BRL Superfund site.

The public notice and a fact sheet with further details can be found at the Remediation and Redevelopment Program’s Public Notices & Guidance webpage under the “Public Notices” tab. Comments may be submitted through Aug. 31, 2022 to BJ LeRoy at BJ.LeRoy@wisconsin.gov.

Save the Date! Brownfield Fundamentals Series

Posted on by Jodie Thistle

Are you looking for ideas to address the brownfields in your community, or information on how to fund brownfield redevelopment projects? Join the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for two panel discussions on Sept. 15, 2022, as part of our Brownfields Fundamentals series.

The panel discussions will include experts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and the Kansas State University Technical Assistance for Brownfields to discuss brownfields financial assistance available to Wisconsin local governments, with an emphasis on federal infrastructure funding.

Save the date! Sept. 15, 2022

  •  9:30 – 11 a.m. Brownfields Assistance: Boosting Redevelopment with Fresh Funds 
    A panel of experts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and the Kansas State University Technical Assistance for Brownfields program will join the DNR to discuss brownfields financial assistance available to Wisconsin local governments, with an emphasis on federal infrastructure funding.
  • 1:30 – 3 p.m. Local Governments and Brownfields: Best Practices and Lessons Learned
    Experienced staff from four Wisconsin communities will share best practices and lessons learned while navigating brownfield redevelopment projects.

Both panel discussions will be held via zoom video conferencing.

Watch the RR Report and the RR Program Presentations & Trainings webpage for registration and additional information.

Request for Statements of Qualifications

Posted on by Jodie Thistle

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is accepting Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) to provide professional services to the DNR for the following Requests for Qualifications (RFQs):

  • Federal Brownfields Assessment at Vapor Intrusion Priority Properties
  • Federal Brownfields Assessment at Wisconsin Assessment Monies (WAM) Properties
  • State Vapor Intrusion Zone Contract for Vapor Investigation and Mitigation Services

Interested consultants may choose to submit an SOQ to any or all of the RFQs.

Copies of the RFQs are available on the RR Program Public Notices webpage.

NR 700 Reporting Due Jul. 30

Posted on by Jodie Thistle

Semi-annual reporting for the period of Jan. 1, 2022 to Jun. 30, 2022 is due by Jul. 30, 2022. Semi-annual reporting is required of responsible parties (RPs) for all open sites, including those sites the DNR formerly classified as “conditionally closed” in the Bureau for Remediation and Redevelopment Tracking System (BRRTS) online database. Consultants may submit these reports on behalf of RPs.

The DNR will send an email with a unique Report Identification (ID) number to contacts of sites listed in the database during the first week of January 2022. If you do not receive an email by Jul. 7, 2022, you can request a Report ID number by submitting the Report ID Request Form.

The Report ID number uniquely identifies the activity you can report, the reporting period and verifies the person using the Report ID is authorized to submit the report. If you have any questions, please contact Tim Zeichert at Timothy.Zeichert@wisconsin.gov or 608-219-2240.

State law requires semi-annual reports from people who meet the definition of a responsible party in NR 700. Property owners, such as local governments that have an exemption under Wis. Stats. §§ 292.11(9)(e) or 292.23, and lenders that have an exemption under Wis. Stats. § 292.21 for specific properties are not required to submit a semi-annual report for those exempt properties under state law.

Sites formerly classified by the DNR as “conditionally closed” are open sites that have not been granted case closure and, by definition, have remaining action(s) needed (e.g., properly abandoning monitoring wells or investigative waste needing to be removed).

Semi-annual reporting for sites formerly classified as “conditionally closed” should indicate what actions are being taken to complete the remaining actions.

The next reporting period is from Jul. 1, 2022, to Dec. 31, 2022.

DNR To Hold First Remediation And Redevelopment External Advisory Group Meeting

Posted on by Jodie Thistle

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will host its first meeting of the Remediation and Redevelopment External Advisory Group from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, July 15, 2022.

The DNR’s Remediation and Redevelopment Program oversees the investigation and cleanup of environmental contamination and the redevelopment of contaminated properties. The DNR has a business need to receive constructive and practical input from, and provide information to, interested parties on a wide variety of regulatory and policy issues.

The Remediation and Redevelopment External Advisory Group was formed to address a broad range of issues encompassing both technical and policy topics related to encouraging the investigation, cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated sites.

The Remediation and Redevelopment External Advisory Group meetings are open to the public.

EVENT DETAILS

What: Remediation and Redevelopment External Advisory Group Meeting
When: 9 a.m. – noon Friday, July 15, 2022
Where: State Natural Resources Building Room G09
101 S. Webster Street, Madison, WI 53703
Enter from Webster Street and take the hallway to the right to the reception desk.
Register here to join the meeting via Zoom.

Visit the DNR’s Remediation and Redevelopment External Advisory Group webpage for meeting agendas, materials and additional information. Subscribe here for updates on future meetings.

Ben Vondra Joins Remediation And Redevelopment Program

Posted on by Jodie Thistle

Ben Vondra will take on a management position with the Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Beginning June 20, 2022, Vondra will become the new chief of the State and Federal Programs section stationed in Madison. The State and Federal Programs section is responsible for the administration of the RR Program’s budget, including federal grants, intergovernmental funding agreements, and state-funded projects and programs.

Vondra comes to the DNR from the Wisconsin Department of Administration, where he served as the Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Mitigation Program Administrator, developing and implementing grant programs funded by Wisconsin’s $67 million Volkswagen trust fund. In 2020, Ben was tapped to help implement the governor’s COVID-19 pandemic response and relief grant program, totaling over $900 million in federally funded grants.

RR Program Seeks Mechanical/Remediation Engineer

Posted on by Jodie Thistle

The Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program is recruiting a Mechanical/Remediation Engineer.

This position may be located in the DNR’s Madison, Rhinelander, Antigo, Green Bay, Baldwin or Milwaukee office. Other DNR locations may possible based on space availability and managerial approval. The deadline to apply is June 29, 2022.

This position will be responsible for providing site-specific, engineering evaluations and project reviews for remediation sites throughout Wisconsin. Work will include providing mechanical engineering and project management services relating to the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of vapor intrusion systems, and management of other environmental systems associated with methane, air deposition, utility gas migration, and remedial excavations. This position will also provide assistance to regional staff, local government units, lenders, owners, and potential purchasers of brownfield properties for regulatory compliance with the applicable federal and state laws. The work will include troubleshooting and evaluation services, as well as optimizing support for vapor mitigation systems, including vapor control by HVAC systems, ventilation of underground parking structures, sewer gas migration, and new construction requirements.

A full position description, including necessary qualifications, is available online at the Wisc.jobs website (Job ID number 6481).

RR Program Seeks State Projects Coordinator

Posted on by Jodie Thistle

The Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program is recruiting a State Projects Coordinator.

This position may be located in the DNR’s Madison, Green Bay, Milwaukee, Rhinelander, Oshkosh or Waukesha office. Other DNR locations may possible based on space availability and managerial approval. The deadline to apply is June 29, 2022.

The State Projects Coordinator provides programmatic expertise and technical oversight for investigation and remediation of complex contamination sites, providing direction for state directed response sites across Wisconsin. The position will serve as the statewide coordinator and project manager for a majority of the state funded response remediation projects, responsible for scope development, procurement, oversight of contractors, review of technical documents, and budget oversight. This position will also provide support to regional staff with scoping, budgeting, coordination and oversight of regional state lead sites. This position reports to the State and Federal Programs Section Chief and is expected to participate in applicable regional review meetings and adhere to regional approval and tracking processes.

A full position description, including necessary qualifications, is available online at the Wisc.jobs website (Job ID number 6458).