United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA500-F-99-112
June 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
SEPA
Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Taunton, MA
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. 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 brownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssites and preparetrainees for future employmentintheenvironmental
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 Taunton for a Brownfields
Pilot. Taunton is an old seaport and industrial
community located between Boston, Fall River, and
New Bedford. Use of the seaport declined due to the
development of new transportation modes and the
difficulty large ships had with navigating the shallow
waters. As a result, the city's economy also declined.
Most development is occurring away from the
downtown area, which has left the city's core with
abandoned or underused and potentially contaminated
business and industrial sites and residential units. The
city (population 51,500) has identified the Weir Village
section of Taunton, which has approximately 9,700
residents, as an area in need of revitalization. This
target area lies along the Taunton River and is subj ect
to flooding. In addition, the areahas many brownfields
sites. This combination of flooding and brownfields
pose many concerns for the health and welfare of the
mostly low-income, minority residents in Weir Village.
A stream flows through the 15-acre former foundry
and tannery that is the Pilot-targeted site. A number
of industries, including the tannery, which closed in
the mid 1980s, disposed of waste products in the
stream and surrounding area. As a result, the
contaminants are discharged into the tidal river and
PILOTSNAPSHOT
Taunton, Massachusetts
Contacts:
City of Taunton
Mayor's Office of
Community Development
(508)821-1030
Dateof Announcement:
June 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets a
15-acre former tannery and
foundry located in the city's
Weir Village neighborhood, a
blighted and distressed area
along the Taunton River.
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 1
(617)573-9681
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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open waters. Because the area is also a flood plain,
heavy rains further spread contaminants to adjacent
properties and the Taunton River.
OBJECTIVES
The Pilot's objective is to spur the economic
revitalization of the city including expanding the tax
base and creating jobs for local residents through
assessment of the 15-acre former tannery site. The
city anticipates that site assessment will encourage
cleanup and redevelopment of the property. The
Pilot's assessment efforts will coincide with other city
efforts to alleviate the recurring flooding problem on
the target site by diverting the stream. Additionally,
it is hoped that cleanup and redevelopment of the
tannery will be a catalyst for the cleanup and
redevelopment of surrounding brownfields.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting Phase I and Phase II environmental
assessments within the 15-acre target site;
• Designing a cleanup plan for the site; and
• Using quarterly forums to involve the community in
the assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment
activities of the site.
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 Taunton, Massachusetts
June 1999 EPA500-F-99-112
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