Milwaukee to Use DNR Brownfield Assessment Funds at Inner Harbor Property

Posted on by elisabethkuisis
Milwaukee's Inner Harbor

A WAM grant will help repurpose a century-old coal storage site at Milwaukee’s inner harbor as part of a continuing effort to improve this gateway to the city.
Photo Credit: US Army Corps of Engineers

Efforts to repurpose a century-old coal storage site at Milwaukee’s inner harbor will get a boost from a recently issued Department of Natural Resources brownfields award.

The award comes from the DNR’s Wisconsin Assessment Monies (WAM) program, and will provide for contractor services worth approximately $25,000. The work will help Milwaukee – specifically the Redevelopment Authority of the City of the Milwaukee (RACM) – assess potential contamination, leading to eventual remediation and redevelopment of the prime waterfront site.

The nearly 14-acre site on Greenfield Avenue is located across the street from the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences and is currently a vacant lot that had historically housed fuel oil tanks. Over the years, fill material has been used to shore up a nearby dock wall and fill in a former boat slip.

“The DNR is honored to be a part of the future of this site,” said Christine Haag, chief of the DNR’s brownfields program. “Assessing this property for historic contamination is an important first step to the development of this waterfront property, which has so much potential given its location on Milwaukee’s Inner Harbor near the Freshwater Sciences building.”

Administered by the DNR’s Remediation and Redevelopment Program, WAM awards provide communities with professional environmental site assessments of properties with known or perceived contamination.

Participation in the WAM program requires minimal effort by local governments. Because there is no financial match or project administration involved, the award is an attractive opportunity for communities. In many instances, WAM awards are leveraged with other sources of funding to kick-start repurposing efforts on properties that may have been underutilized for many years.

Applications can be submitted for WAM awards at any time. Properties eligible for funding include closed or closing manufacturing plants, or vacant land with a history of manufacturing. Gas stations, dry cleaners and salvage yards are not eligible.

Requests for DNR “Acknowledgment Letter” Due November 2

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

If you plan to submit an application for an FY2018 EPA brownfield grant, you only have a couple weeks left to request your letter of acknowledgment from the Remediation and Redevelopment Program for your federal grant application.

The EPA requires grant applicants other than tribal environmental authorities to obtain a letter from the DNR acknowledging that the state is aware the applicant is applying for a federal grant to conduct brownfield assessment, revolving loan fund or cleanup activities.

While the federal deadline to submit an application for Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, or Cleanup grants isn’t until November 16, 2017, the DNR requests at least two weeks’ notice – November 2 – to develop and deliver your letter in a timely manner. These federal grants are available for the assessment and cleanup of brownfield properties.

You can request your state letter of acknowledgment from the DNR by contacting Elisabeth Kuisis (608-267-0543).

To find out how to get a DNR letter of acknowledgment and other useful information, visit the DNR Federal brownfield grants web page. For more information about the federal grants, see the September 20 article in the RR Report.

Snapshot: PECFA Financials

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The RR Program provides monthly updates on the status of PECFA claims and the overall PECFA budget.

Below are the updated PECFA claim numbers for September 2017, including the number of claims received, claims paid, and the total dollar amount of claims paid in the current fiscal year.

Number Value
Claims Received 137 $547,713
Claims Paid 77 $521,805
Claims in audit line (as of September 30) 76 $333,066
Total Paid FY18 $1,719,127

Upcoming ITRC Training

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

October 3:
Geophysical Classification for Munitions Response

October 5:
Issues and Options in Human Health Risk Assessment – A Resource When Alternatives to Default Parameters and Scenarios are Proposed

October 12:
Groundwater Statistics for Environmental Project Managers

October 26:
Geospatial Analysis for Optimization at Environmental Sites

November 14:
Long-term Contaminant Management Using Institutional Controls

November 16:
Petroleum Vapor Intrusion: Fundamentals of Screening, Investigation, and Management

 

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

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

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

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

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

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

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” →

Innovative Brownfield Redevelopments Sought for Phoenix Award at National Brownfields Conference

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The application process for the Phoenix Awards during the 2017 National Brownfields Conference is now open. The award highlights outstanding brownfield redevelopment and revitalization, with top projects offering a fresh take on cleanups, innovation, and community impact.

The deadline to submit an application for this year’s Phoenix Awards is October 4, 2017. Awards will be presented during this year’s National Brownfields Conference, held Dec. 5-7 in Pittsburgh, PA.

PECFA Claim Information Now Available at BOTW

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

A password-protected website that was meant to be the new home for PECFA claim information after the discontinuation of Tracker on the Web (TOTW), has itself been discontinued.

Earlier this month, the Remediation and Redevelopment Program pulled the plug on “Tracker” because the aging technology that supported TOTW was no longer maintained by the State. The Program planned to provide the same information on a password-protected website.

However, after experiencing difficulties with this website and with formatting the information to be accessible, the RR Program is taking a new approach using the familiar database, BRRTS on the Web (BOTW).

Continue reading “PECFA Claim Information Now Available at BOTW” →

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

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

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/.