Publications and forms

New Hazardous Substance Spills Publication Available

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RR Program staff have updated the popular “Reporting Hazardous Substance Spills” (RR-560) publication, available online for posting in your office or sharing with clients and colleagues.

Wis. Stat. § 292.11 (2) and Wis. Admin. § NR 706.5 require individuals and entities that possess or control a hazardous substance, or that cause the discharge of a hazardous substance to the environment to notify DNR immediately about the discharge. RR-560 summarizes reporting requirements, reporting exemptions, and DNR spill coordinator contact information. RR-560 is intended for use in businesses and other places where hazardous substance spills may occur, so that reporting requirements can be quickly determined and followed. It is also useful for local governments, environmental consultants, and individuals involved in commercial/industrial property construction and development.

DNR Brownfields “Annual Accomplishments” Report Available

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The RR Program’s annual brownfields accomplishments report to US EPA, which details outputs and outcomes funded by a federal grant, is now available. The Section 128(a) Grant Final Accomplishments Report, for the reporting period of September 1, 2015 to August 31, 2016, highlights work completed in past the funding year. Since 2003, the RR Program has consistently and efficiently used these funds to enhance state efforts with brownfields cleanup and redevelopment.

Previous 128(a) reports can be found on the Brownfields Program webpage.

2016 VPLE Report Now Available

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The DNR Remediation and Redevelopment program has prepared a biannual report on the Voluntary Party Liability Exemption (VPLE) program. The report, required by law, provides the legislature and the Governor information about the performance of the VPLE program. The Program, which has helped many brownfields redevelopment projects across the state, allows for anyone to conduct an environmental investigation and remedial action of an entire property with DNR oversight and receive exemptions from liability. The report is available here: http://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/pubs/rr/RR929.pdf

 

Wetland Guidance Now Available

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The DNR’s Bureau of Watershed Management recently finalized and published new guidance, titled “Review of Wetlands on Dormant Development Sites,” for use by staff when addressing how to review dormant development sites with wetlands that have not been previously identified.

This guidance is applicable, for example, to sites where development activities began, but then stopped, due to the downturn in the economy that began in approximately 2008. It also applies to jurisdictional wetlands that have been re-established or expanded in areas that had not been previously identified as a wetland. This guidance may have an impact on redevelopment sites and is now available on the DNR website.

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.

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.

US EPA Releases Online Mapping Tool to Help Protect Drinking Water Sources

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Welcome page of DWMAPS displays search tools for users to find information about drinking water sources.

This robust, online mapping tool provides the public, water system operators, state programs, and federal agencies with critical information to help them safeguard the sources of America’s drinking water.

The DWMAPS – the Drinking Water Mapping Application to Protect Source Waters – allows users to learn about their watershed and understand more about their water supplier. The DWMAPS also allows users to see if sources of their drinking water are polluted and if there are possible sources of pollution that could affect their community’s water supply. The tool can even guide users to ways they can get involved in protecting drinking water sources in their community.

 For more information and to access the map visit http://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/dwmaps.

 

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.