United States
                   Environmental
                   Protection Agency
                   Washington, D.C.  20460
 Solid Waste
 and Emergency
 Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-00-129
May 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
  \>EPA  Brownfields  Assessment
                  Demonstration  Pilot
                                                                   Wausau, Wl
 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 has selected the City of Wausau for a
Brownfields Pilot. The City of Wausau, population
38,881, was incorporated in 1872 as a lumber mill
town. The Wisconsin River provided the fledgling
community access to transportation and a source of
power for an expanding pulp and paper industry
along the downtown river corridor.

Improvements to highways and a declining paper
industry has forced economic development in Wausau
to be located elsewhere. The city is currently 11.2
percent minority, and 10.9 percent of the population
lives below the poverty line.  The downtown river
corridor is an area that has  a high crime  rate, a
condition which is particularly troubling given the
number of children living in the area.  As the city's
economy has declined, many businesses have closed
or relocated, leaving behind blighted, underused,
and/or  potentially  contaminated property.  The
perception of environmental contamination in the
downtown  corridor is  currently hindering
development from occurring.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
                    Date of Announcement:
                    May 2000

                    Amount: $200,000

                    Profile: The city will target
                    brownfields within the blighted
                    downtown river corridor.
     Wausau, I/I//
Contacts:
Office of the Mayor
City of Wausau
(715)261-6800
 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/
   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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OBJECTIVES

The city intends to revitalize the downtown corridor.
To help reach  this  goal,  the Pilot will  fund
environmental  site  assessments  on potential
brownfield sites along the downtown river corridor.
If contamination is present, the city will work with
the property owners to minimize the impact on public
health and redevelop the sites as appropriate. The
city will also work with property owners to obtain
access and  easements for the  expansion of the
river's edge trail in the targeted area.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as a part of this Pilot include:

• Conducting Phase I environmental assessments on
  up to 40 properties in the downtown river corridor;

• Conducting Phase II environmental assessments on
  specific properties needing additional investigation;
  and

• Preparing  and implementing  a community
  awareness and action plan relating to the targeted
  brownfields area.

The cooperative agreementforthis Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
 Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot                                                   Wausau, I/I//
 May2000                                                                        EPA 500-F-00-129

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