Addressing Water Contamination
through Brownfields Cleanup and
Redevelopment
T
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Water-Related Cleanup
. he cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields properties can
be complicated by the presence of contamination in various forms.
One type of media affected by contamination on brownfields is
water, which includes ground water, surface water, and drinking
water. Even brownfields not adjacent to waterfront areas or
significant bodies of water can affect the quality of nearby
ground water, which can then migrate to other areas causing
further contamination. EPA's Brownfields Assessment, Cleanup,
and Revolving Loan Funds grants can help identify and address
water contamination issues at brownfields properties. Utilizing
EPA grants to address water-related issues—such as stormwater
runoff, watershed issues, or estuary restoration—has been in
practice for years, but the manner in which these issues are dealt
with is evolving as innovative practices and unique end uses
are implemented. These types of brownfields projects provide a
prime opportunity to incorporate sustainable practices—including
bioremediation and green building elements—into the brownfields
cleanup and redevelopment process. Several grantees in EPA's
program are using their funding to affect change in and around
brownfields and their surrounding communities near lakes, rivers,
and estuaries.
Burlington, Vermont-Lake Champlain Waterfront Housing
For years, the City of Burlington has been grappling with the lack
of affordable housing as well as a longstanding stormwater runoff
problem affecting the water quality of Lake Champlain. The city
has been making efforts to clean up and redevelop more than 60
acres of waterfront land into a mixed-use area. With assistance
from an EPA Brownfields Assessment grant, Burlington was
able to make significant progress on both affordable housing and
stormwater mitigation through one project.
The area targeted for Waterfront Housing along the shores of
Lake Champlain, was formerly used as rail siding, for liquefied
gas storage, and as a scrap yard. Homeless encampments, litter,
old foundations, and neglect characterized the property. Located
at the base of Depot Street—a closed road with an extremely
steep slope—stormwater events routinely caused flooding and
release of unfiltered runoff into the lake. In 1999, the city used
$35,000 in EPA Brownfields Assessment grant funds to conduct
a Phase II environmental site assessment on more than 40 acres
of the north waterfront area, which revealed underground storage
Lake Champlain's affordable waterfront housing.
JUST THE FACTS:
• With help from EPA Brownfields
Assessment grant funds, Burlington,
Vermont achieved its redevelopment goals
of cleaning up past contamination, providing
affordable housing, and protecting the water
quality of Lake Champlain.
• Through the use of EPA Brownfields
Cleanup funds, the Rhizome Collective
used several innovative practices, such as
a purification system that uses recycled
materials, to clean up and purify the urban
stormwater contaminated by a former
landfill in Austin, Texas.
• With the help of an EPA Brownfields
Cleanup grant to the Jamestown S'Klallam
Tribe, the Sequim Bay estuary has been
restored from contamination that resulted
from creosote-treated pilings used during
log-sorting operations, which caused
sediment pollution and loss of estuarine
mudflat and wetland habitats.
"The Tribe attributes
the success of the project, in large
part, to a unified vision and clear
goals; working with landowners and
the community; luck and a spirit of
opportunism (and optimism); and
perseverance. We hope it will continue
to be a shining example of cooperation
and a rejuvenated landscape."
- Hans; Hals, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe
continued
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tanks (USTs), soils contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and arsenic,
and ground water tainted with petroleum compounds. Since that time, USTs and subsurface
infrastructure have been removed, old buildings demolished, and clean soils placed as a cap on
the north waterfront.
With financial assistance provided through an $800,000 Special Purpose Grant from the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), federal HOME funds, and a City
Housing Trust Fund Grant, the Burlington Community Land Trust/Housing Vermont team
broke ground in July 2003 and completed construction of the 40-unit, mixed income apartments
in October 2004. According to Diane Kelley of EPA Region 1, "Burlington, Vermont has
established its brownfields program with an emphasis on reuse of brownfields properties as
affordable housing. This project is just the latest effort to provide low cost housing that is sorely
needed in the city."
This is the first multi-unit residential building in Vermont to earn the Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED)® certification. The 40,000-square foot building also
incorporates several "green" elements through its design, such as the use of local, recycled
materials; reduced flow plumbing; energy efficient heating and cooling; installation of
ENERGY STAR appliances; and the maximization of greenspace through the use of an
underground parking garage instead of a surface parking lot. As a result of these and other
design elements, the building exceeds all EPA ENERGY STAR standards for efficiency.
The property's stormwater system was designed with capacity to handle flows from adjacent
properties, which will further protect Lake Champlain and minimize local flooding problems.
It mitigates flows created by Depot Street, which drains a significant portion of the Old North
End neighborhood. The system is comprised of USTs used for pre-treatment, temporary storage,
and filtration, thereby removing contaminants before releasing the stormwater into the lake.
The system is one of the first in the state to follow Vermont's Stormwater Management Best
Practices Guidelines, which are typically used for environmentally impaired watersheds.
The EPA Brownfields Assessment grant funds used for this $7.15 million redevelopment project
helped Burlington achieve its goals of providing affordable housing and protecting the water
quality of Lake Champlain. Not only was the city able to meet its goals, but they were achieved
in a manner that will reduce future impact on the environment through the implementation of
sustainable practices and innovative cleanup methods.
Austin, Texas-Rhizome Collective Environmental Education Center
In Austin, Texas, the Rhizome Collective—a nonprofit organization
that encourages the development of locally based systems that reduce
the impact on the environment—is making great strides in promoting
environmental education and sustainable practices on a former
brownfields property. The 9.8-acre former Grove Landfill is adjacent
to the 360-acre Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Park in Austin.
3.6 acres of the property were in operation from 1967 to 1970 as a
municipal household solid waste landfill that was capped in the early
1970s. The property was further contaminated by 15 years of illegal
dumping, which resulted in 5,000 cubic yards of debris comprised of
old appliances, tires, and construction debris. Another issue was the
collection of polluted urban stormwater runoff in retention ponds on the
property. In 2004, the property was donated by a private owner to the
A "floating island" constructed out of plastic soda
bottles and native plants used as a stormwater
management system in Austin, Texas.
Brownfields Success Story
Addressing Water Contamination
Through Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
continued ^
EPA 560-F-10-212
July 2010
www. epa.gov/brownfields/
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Rhizome Collective to clean up the property and transform it into an environmental education
center and ecological justice park.
EPA awarded the Rhizome Collective a $200,000 Brownfields Cleanup grant in 2004 to assist
with cleanup activities—including debris collection and removal—which was completed
in summer 2006. The Rhizome Collective recycled and reused as much of the illegally
dumped debris as possible. Some examples of the sustainable practices include: salvaged
wood scraps and concrete for erosion control; chipped or shredded wood to create mulch
for recreational trails; recycled 31.6 tons of metal; salvaged concrete for later use as fill for
building infrastructure; powered equipment through use of biofuel generators and photovoltaic
panels due to lack of electricity; extracted 680 tires through use of vegetable-oil powered
tractor; inoculated chainsaws with fungi spore-laden oil to aid in degradation of residual
contaminants; constructed floating islands ( of recovered soda bottles) to create habitat for
life forms capable of bioremediating residual toxins in onsite retention pond; and planted
native grasses, wildflowers, and trees. Information kiosks highlight and explain information
on the environment and sustainable practices including recycling; brownfield cleanup; "green"
building techniques; native wildlife; and the functions of wetlands.
One of the featured water systems in use on the property involves the use of constructed
wetlands in a retention pond to purify urban stormwater runoff before it reaches the Colorado
River. Plastic soda bottles pulled out of the pond were used to create circular rafts called
"floating islands." Native wetland plants known for their abilities to remove contaminants
from water were attached to the floating islands, which rise and fall as water levels fluctuate
in the pond. The floating islands serve as a low-cost model of a stormwater runoff purification
system that uses recycled materials.
Through the use of its EPA Brownfields Cleanup funds, the Rhizome Collective was able
to remove this former eyesore from the community, and promote and educate the public on
sustainable practices that help preserve the environment. According to Scott Kellogg with the
Rhizome Collective, the EPA funding helped enormously. He stated, "We were prepared to
do the cleanup if we didn't have the grant, but it would have taken us 10 years or more if we
didn't get it. Because of grant, we were able to finish the cleanup in two years." The Rhizome
Collective leveraged approximately seven jobs and a six-person crew as well as the time and
labor of hundreds of volunteers from the local area.
Sequim, Washington-Sequim Bay Estuary
Located in Sequim, Washington, the 82.31-acre Sequim
Bay Estuary was a prosperous home for a wide variety of
marine life and vegetation. From 1892 to 2001, a 7.3-acre
portion of the estuary was utilized for timber log sorting
and transportation. During this time, former wetlands and
mudflats were filled, and a pier and multiple creosote-treated
pilings were installed to aid in handling and sorting logs. The
creosote-treated pilings caused sediment pollution and loss
of estuarine mudflat and wetland habitats in the intertidal and
subtidal area that supported an ecosystem of shellfish, eelgrass,
migratory waterfowl and salmon habitat. Creosote contains
PAHs and tars that leached into the water and sediments. As a
result, the property was identified as one of the most significant
sources of pollution into Sequim Bay.
Removal of pilings during Sequim Bay Restoration.
Brownfields Success Story
Addressing Water Contamination
Through Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
continued ^
EPA 560-F-10-212
July 2010
www. epa.gov/brownfields/
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CONTACTS:
For more information about
EPA's Brownfields Program, visit:
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
In 2003, EPA awarded a $156,000 Brownfields Cleanup grant to the Jamestown S'Klallam
Tribe to assist with the restoration project. These funds were used to remove 99 creosote treated
pilings from intertidal areas of the estuary and conduct a study testing the contamination level
of sediments and shellfish in the vicinity of the pilings both before and after the removal to
determine the health risk to tribal shellfish harvesters and consumers. A total
of $64,000 in State and Federal funds—including Washington State
Department of Natural Resources Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account
funds and an EPA 319 competitive grant directed at estuary wetland
restoration—was leveraged for additional cleanup activities
including the removal of 350 tons of contaminated soil and
600 tons of solid waste on the adjacent shoreline and riparian
wetlands. This cleanup was part of a larger effort to restore the
entire estuary and two creeks, which suffered from frequent
flooding and degraded habitat for summer chum salmon. Overall,
the 10-year, $6 million restoration project involved more than 20
partners, 29 major funding sources, and 61 grant matches to restore
the entire estuary. Lyn Muench, of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe,
stated that the EPA Brownfields funding was "the finishing touch to
the restoration, as it was the last major component to be completed."
By August 2005, the larger 82-acre area of the intertidal portion of the estuary was fully restored
and now provides clean sediment and habitat for shellfish, salmon, and other natural species to
repopulate the area. Extensive monitoring measures of the entire estuary are in place, including
annual monitoring of eel grass and shellfish populations, which are expected to naturally migrate
into the former piling area. Since the completion of the restoration, the positive effects have
been apparent; the estuary has been restored to its former beauty, flooding in the surrounding
communities has been reduced, and summer chum are using the restored creek channel. Summer
chum have rebounded remarkably from a 1999 run of seven fish, to over 1,600 in years since
2005. As the natural species increase over time, so will the economic benefits to the Jamestown
S'Klallam Tribe; seafood such as finfish and shellfish are important food and revenue sources.
The restored estuary will also provide an expanded area for kayaking and bird watching, which
benefits the local tourist-dependent economy.
Without the funding assistance from EPA's Brownfields Cleanup grant, the estuary restoration
project would not have been completed. The environmental and economic consequences on the
Sequim Bay Estuary would have left the surrounding communities subject to a permanent loss
of shellfish and other marine life. This project provides a unique opportunity to return a natural
water habitat back to its original beauty and productivity.
As demonstrated by these three brownfields projects, addressing water contamination issues goes
beyond the assessment and cleanup of contamination on a particular property; the effects can be
felt in the surrounding community as well. They have provided their local communities with a
unique opportunity to address longstanding water issues such as flooding and stormwater runoff
by cleaning up and redeveloping the contaminated properties. By addressing the issues at the
brownfields properties, these projects have had a greater impact on the water quality of nearby
water sources. Not only have these properties been cleaned up through these projects, but they
were done so in a manner that minimizes the future impact on the surrounding environment by
promoting and incorporating sustainable practices.
Brownfields Success Story
Addressing Water Contamination
Through Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-10-212
July 2010
www. epa.gov/brownfields/
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