United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105)
EPA 500-F-00-257
December 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
vvEPA
Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Danbury, CT
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
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. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs 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 selected the City of Danbury for a Brownfields
Pilot. Danbury, the hub of northern Fairfield County,
is aformer hat manufacturing centerturned corporate
base and residential suburban community. Hat-
making and related industries were the city's primary
economic force until the 1960s. The city has long
been known for its Irish, Italian, and Portuguese
immigrant communities, and has witnessed agrowing
Hispanic and Asian population. Data collected in
1996 showed that Danbury contained a labor force of
approximately 35,000 with a 5 percent unemployment
rate.
The Pilot project targets two sites. The first, Barnum
Court, is a one-half-acre property that formerly
contained a 4,400-square-foot factory and a 3,100-
square-foot warehouse/garage. Previously conducted
Phase I, II, and III environmental assessments indicate
that volatile organic compound (VOC) levels in
groundwater are above state standards and that soil
contamination consists of VOCs, lead, and mercury.
The city's redevelopment efforts have been hindered
by the presence of these contaminants.
The second site is the former Mallory Hat Factory,
which operated until 1987, when the company went
PILOTSNAPSHOT
Danbury, Connecticut
Date of Announcement:
September 1997
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
Barnum Court, a one-half-
acre property in the city's
urban center, and the former
Mallory Hat Factory.
Contacts:
Danbury Health and Housing
Department
(203)797-4625
U.S. EPA - Region 1
(617)918-1210
Visit the EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region01/remed/brnfld/
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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out of business. The site was soon purchased by a
prospective developer, who conducted environmental
assessments between 1989 and 1991, leading to
further investigation of seven areas of potential
contamination. In 1998, the city foreclosed on the
property due to tax delinquency. An industrial
facility adjacent to the hat factory is interested in
acquiring the site to create parking for its employees
and clients.
OBJECTIVES
To facilitate redevelopment, the Pilot intends to
conduct further site investigation at both sites. The
city has established a plan that concurrently pursues
the environmental restoration of the sites and the
commercial redevelopment of the properties. The
projects will demonstrate that municipalities can
move forward in the commercial rehabilitation of
brownfields by providing an innovative approach to
completing the environmental restoration of the sites.
The plan will take advantage of the various land use
zones applicable to the two parcels within the Barnum
Court site, as well as the presence of an interested
developer for the Mallory Hat Factory site. The city
will also seek to use innovative in- situ environmental
cleanup technologies for site cleanup. In order to
facilitate redevelopment, the city will temporarily
retain ownership over the Mallory Hat site and a
portion of the Barnum Court property. After further
investigation and cleanup, the city will select
appropriate redevelopment proposals and convey
ownership through negotiated property transfer
agreements.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES
The Pilot has:
• Completed a Phase I and Phase II assessments at
the Barnum Court site, which identified soil and
groundwater contamination;
• Developed specifications for Phase III assessment
investigations and an in situ cleanup feasibility
study for the Barnum Court site; and
• Completed Phase I and Phase II assessments on
the former Mallory Hat Factory and begun the
process to sell the property to a developer for
redevelopment.
The Pilot is:
• Conducting a Phase III assessments at the Barnum
Court site to identify the groundwater contamination
source and develop cleanup recommendations and
cost estimates;
• Analyzing sediment samples and examining
ecological risks at Barnum Court to determine the
impact to the riverine ecosystem adjacent to the
property; and
• Attempting to identify additional brownfields sites
within Danbury to target.
LEVERAGING OTHER ACTIVITIES
Experience with the Danbury Pilot has been a catalyst
for related activities, including the following:
• As a result of the Phase II assessment at the
Mallory Hat Factory site, EPA completed a $55 0,000
time-critical removal action to mitigate potential
imminent threat hazards in March 2000.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot
December 2000
Danbury, Connecticut
EPA 500-F-00-257
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