&EPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-98-152
May 1998
Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Milwaukee, Wl
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. Since 1995, EPA has funded more than 150 Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of
brownfields solutions. The Pilots are intended to provide EPA, states, tribes, municipalities, and communities with
useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site
assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the City of Milwaukee for a
Brownfields Pilot. Milwaukee (population 628,000) is
focusing its brownfields efforts on the Menomonee
River Valley (population approximately 68,000). This
1,500-acre industrial area lies in the heart of the city
and includes 300 to 400 acres of abandoned or
underused properties. For years the area was home
to many industrial facilities, including foundries, power
plants, coke and coal gasification plants, tanneries,
cement plants, and chemical companies. Today,
about 7,000 people work in the valley, from a high in
the 1930sofmorethan50,000workers. The residents
surrounding the valley are 48% minority and suffer
from a 13% unemployment rate, a 39% poverty rate,
and a median household income that is half the state
average.
The key to cleanup and redevelopment of Menomonee
Valley is establishing innovative methods of dealing
with groundwater contamination. Extensive marshe s
used to occupy the valley, and steep bluffs, some 40
feet higher than the modern land surface, bordered
the marshes. From 1835 to 1890, the bluffs were cut
and graded, and the material from the bluffs along
with household and industrial wastes were used to fill
in the marshy areas. Prospective investors, lenders,
and developers are wary of the valley's soil and
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date of Announcement:
May 1998
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
the Menomonee River
Valley, a 1,500-acre
industrial area in the heart
ofMilwaukee.
Contacts:
Department of City
Development
City of Milwaukee
(414)286-5851
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 5
(312)886-5284
Visit the EPA Region 5 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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groundwater quality due to the area's land use history
and the unknown quality of fill used to reclaim it from
amarsh. The currentnatureandextentofgroundwater
contamination is, however, largely undocumented
due to lack of good testing data.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of Milwaukee's brownfields
redevelopmentprogram are to remove environmental
barriers related to the wetland nature of Menomonee
Valley and redevelop one to two properties as test
cases, while creating jobs for nearby residents. The
Pilot will be used to conduct environmental studies
that will form the basis for an "aqua-shed" approach
to testing, cleanup, and redevelopment in the valley.
The aqua-shed approach requires determination of
groundwater flows in the area, and working with the
state on optional methods to clean up groundwater on
an area-wide, rather than property-specific basis.
The city will partner with the state to investigate the
aqua-shed concept and encourage voluntary testing
of properties in the valley.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Creating a geographic information system (GIS)
that tracks available dataon subsurface utilities, soil,
and groundwater conditions in the valley;
• Conducting Phase I and Phase II environmental
assessments at selected sites;
• Installing groundwater monitoring wells and
geoprobes to sample groundwater quality;
• Preparing cleanup investigation work plans; and
• Establishing a Citizens and Technical Advisory
Committee composed of local citizens, land owners,
technical experts, and public officials to review
information, provide policy and technical direction,
and make recommendations for selection of
brownfields sites to be cleaned up.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been
negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet
are subject to change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilos Milwaukee, Wisconsin
May 1998 EPA 500-F-98-152
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