RR Program RCL Calculator Updated

Posted on by elisabethkuisis

The Wisconsin DNR updated the numerical soil standards, or residual contaminant levels (RCLs), in the Remediation and Redevelopment program’s spreadsheet of RCLs to reflect the US EPA June 2016 update to its Regional Screening Level (RSL) website. The RR Program RCL Spreadsheet Update (RR-052d) provides a summary of the updates incorporated in the June 2016 spreadsheet.

For more information and to access the RCL calculator (macro and non-macro versions), visit the Resources for Environmental Professionals webpage and click on the “Soil RCLs” tab.

 

DNR Brownfields Program Releases New Video Highlighting Cleanup and Redevelopment Successes

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The DNR brownfields program is pleased to present “Beans & Brew,” a seven-minute video highlighting the remediation and redevelopment efforts undertaken by Milwaukee’s Colectivo Coffee and the Potosi Brewery. These two stories highlight the impressive impact of collaboration between private industry, local public sector supporters and the DNR.

Over 20 years of experience has shown that cleanups are both possible and profitable. The environment and the economy can benefit together, as confirmed by a recent UW-Whitewater study.

Beans & Brew is the brownfields program’s most recent video to highlight a successful cleanup and redevelopment project in Wisconsin. Other videos can be seen on the agency’s YouTube channel. Write-ups on these and 101 additional successful redevelopment stories are available at http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Brownfields/Success.html.

Brownfields Study Group Co-Chair Dave Misky Honored With Public Policy Award

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Citing his creative solutions to solving complex redevelopment challenges, the Public Policy Forum has chosen David Misky, Assistant Executive Director-Secretary for the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee (RACM) and the Co-Chair of the Wisconsin Brownfields Study Group, as the recipient of the 2016 Norman N. Gill Award for Individual Excellence. The award will be presented at the Forum’s “Salute to Local Government” event on June 21, 2016 in Milwaukee.

Misky joined RACM in 2003 and was appointed Assistant Executive Director-Secretary in 2008. He led the agency’s redevelopment efforts in the Menomonee Valley, the Villard Library project, the 440th Local Redevelopment Plan and on efforts at Century City and the Harbor District. Under his leadership, RACM has been a national leader in securing federal brownfield grants and Milwaukee has become an EPA “showcase community.” He also helped to organize a unique Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund and has played a leading role in the city’s efforts to aggressively address tax delinquent and blighted properties.

Established in 1913 as a good government watchdog, the Public Policy Forum is a private, non-profit, independent research organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of public policy decision-making in southeast Wisconsin.

As Co-Chair of the Brownfields Study Group, Misky helps lead a wide-ranging group of professionals evaluating the state’s current brownfields policies and, where necessary, recommending changes and proposing additional incentives for the cleanup and reuse of abandoned or underused properties with real or perceived contamination.

Brownfield Awards go to Three Communities in Wisconsin

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Three Wisconsin Assessment Monies (WAM) Contractor Services Awards were awarded to assess contamination at two former wood-processing plants and a former creamery in Clark, Lincoln and Rusk counties.Investigating for Contamination

The projects are valued up to $18,000 each. The services will be used to determine soil and groundwater conditions at the former Owen Manufacturing wood-processing plant in Clark County; the former Hurd Manufacturing facility in Merrill/Lincoln counties; and at the former Sheldon Creamery in Rusk County.

See the full article for more information.

Leverage Resources for Brownfields Redevelopment

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The US EPA’s new guide – Setting the Stage for Leveraging Resources for Brownfields Revitalization – assists communities in overcoming the challenges of making sound investment decisions to attract additional resources for brownfields revitalization projects. This guide is intended to help communities identify how best to invest limited local resources that could potentially open opportunities for additional public funds and attract the interest and support of outside investors for additional funding.

Wisconsin DNR Receives EPA Coalition Assessment Grant

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The DNR’s RR Program will continue to help communities assess their brownfield sites with the addition of a $600,000 grant from the US EPA’s Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup (ARC) grant program. The DNR, in partnership with the Wisconsin Brownfields Coalition (WBC), is one of four Wisconsin entities to receive an FY16 ARC grant, allowing the agency to continue providing assistance to communities through the Wisconsin Assessment Monies (WAM) program. The WAM program provides no-cost environmental assessments at sites that are poised for cleanup and redevelopment. The WBC includes the DNR and all nine Wisconsin Regional Planning Commissions.

In the EPA press release, Administrator Gina McCarthy says, “These grants will empower communities to transform idle, languishing lands into vibrant hubs for business, jobs, and recreation. It’s all about empowering that initial funding, and sparking that first conversation to set stalled sites on a path to smart, safe redevelopment that directly benefits communities.”

UW-Whitewater Report Shows Positive Impacts on Distressed Areas and Small Towns

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An article in Renewal and Redevelopment highlights some impressive numbers from the UW Whitewater report, “The Economic and Fiscal Impact of Wisconsin’s Brownfields Investments” particularly as it relates to small communities and distressed areas. The article points out that economically disadvantaged communities received more assistance than more prosperous areas in the state. More than half of assisted sites were in census tracts with a lower median household income than the state as a whole.

The investment of cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields has also had an impact on small Wisconsin communities. Small towns with fewer than 15,000 people can be greatly impacted by a blighted property. The redevelopment of an abandoned site can help bring a community back to life.

The UW-Whitewater study was prepared by the University’s Fiscal and Economic Research Center for the Brownfields Study Group and the Wisconsin Economic Development Institute.

FY 2016 RR Program 128(a) Mid-Year Report Complete

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The RR Program’s mid-year report to US 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, 2015 to February 29, 2016, 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 US EPA to enhance state efforts with brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. Previous reports can be found on the Brownfields Program web page.

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.