&EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA 500-F-98-198 July 1998 Assessment Demonstration Pilot East Moline, IL 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 200 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 East Moline for a Brownfields Pilot. East Moline (population 20,147) was founded as an industrial center over a century ago, and heavy industry and transportation have been the primary factors driving the community' s economy. This industrial history has left an environmental legacy in the area that has discouraged new investment and revitalization. East Moline' s future growth relies to a great degree on its ability to eliminate the blighted areas throughout the community and ensure growth and redevelopment of brownfields property. The Pilot's targeted property is a former City landfill and adj acent property situated between the Mississippi River and downtown East Moline. The entire riverfront and downtown redevelopment project area is 213 acres and contains several known or suspected brownfields, including the target area. Approximately 16.3% of East Moline' s residents live in poverty, and the City has an unemployment rate of 6.6%. OBJECTIVES The Pilot's overall objective is to assist in the revitalization of the Central Business District and outlying neighborhoods. The Pilot will conduct PILOT SNAPSHOT East Moline, Illinois Date of Announcement: July 1998 Amount: $200,000 Profile: East Moline targets a former City landfill and adjacent property in the City's riverfront and downtown area for assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment. Contacts: Department of Development Services City of East Moline (309)752-1513 Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA-Region 5 (312)353-3161 Visit the EPA Region 5 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/ Forfurtherinformation, 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/ ------- environmental assessments, which will provide the impetus for new development activity and tax base creation along the riverfront and in the downtown area. ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Performing site identification and characterization of brownfields on the property formerly used as a landfill, and identifying areas on the property that are potentially contaminated wetlands; • Conducting environmental site assessments on the landfill and adj acent property; • Planning cleanup activities for any contaminated sites in the target area; and • Continuing existing outreach activities and developing new programs to inform affected communitie s about identification, assessment, and cleanup planning activities during the Pilotproject. 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 Pilot EastMoline, Illinois July 1998 EPA500-F-98-198 ------- |