United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105)
EPA500-F-01-253
April 2001
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
<>EPA Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
Waterloo, IA
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 $250,000 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, brownfields cleanup revolving
loan fund (BCRLF) programs (each funded up to $1,000,000 over five years), to provide financial assistance 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
The City of Waterloo was once known as the "Factory
City of Iowa." Covering approximately 62 square miles
of Black Hawk County, the City's economy was tied to
the region's agriculture industry. Many of Waterloo's
businesses failed in the 1980s, as a result of the
agricultural crisis, rising labor costs, and the city's
outdated facilities. Many residents left the city (nearly
1,000 have left each year since 1980), and many
properties were left vacant or abandoned.
Waterloo's economy has become increasingly
diversified, and a number of large companies have
made substantial investments in the city. However,
many of the residential, commercial, and industrial
buildings in Waterloo still bear the scars of the
economic decline. The Rath Neighborhood Area, a
350-acre tract located immediately south of the Central
Business District, is particularly derelict and has been
targeted for environmental cleanup and redevelopment.
This area is home to many of Waterloo's low-income
families and is a state-designated Enterprise Zone.
Fifteen percent of residents in this area are
unemployed, and almost a third of the households
receives some form of public assistance. The average
per-capita income in this area is only $5,800.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Waterloo, IA
Date of Announcement:
April 2001
Amount: $1.0 million
BCRLF Target Area:
Brownfields throughout
Waterloo, with a particular
focus on the Rath
Neighborhood Area
Contacts:
City of Waterloo
Planning and Development
(310)-603-0220
Region 7 Brownfields
Coordinator
(913)551-7593
Visit the EPA Region 7 Brownfields web site at:
www.epa.gov/region07/brownfields/
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:
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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BCRLF OBJECTIVES
Waterloo's BCRLF program will provide a needed
source of funds for environmental cleanup. By cleaning
up and redeveloping brownfields, Waterloo hopes to
foster economic revitalization and sustainability,
remove environmental contamination, preserve
neighborhood identity, and encourage community and
stakeholder participation. By integrating the BCRLF
program with other assistance programs, the City will
possess the necessary tools to encourage cleanup and
redevelopment of environmentally impaired properties.
The City anticipates that most of the potential
borrowers will be located in the Rath Neighborhood
Area. The BCRLF program will help to bring this area
back into safe and productive use.
FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS
The City of Waterloo will be the lead agency. The U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers will be the site manager.
Waterloo's Community Development Department will
act as the fund manager.
LEVERAGING OTHER RESOURCES
Waterloo is committed to finding public and private
resources that can complement the BCRLF. To date,
the City has secured $691,750 for brownfields-
related activities in the Rath Neighborhood Area. In
addition, Iowa Enterprise Zone and Tax Increment
Financing incentives are available to Rath
Neighborhood businesses. At the federal level, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department
of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers have and will continue to
commit funding towards brownfields work in
Waterloo. The City will contribute its services to the
BCRLF as necessary.
Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with
CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of
funding also apply to BCRLF funds.
Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
April 2001
Waterloo, IA
EPA 500-F-01-253
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