United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105)
EPA 500-F-01-302
April 2001
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
v/EPA Brownfields Supplemental
Assistance
East Moline, IL
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, and safely clean up
brownfields to promote their sustainable reuse. Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and
commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.
EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years, with additional
funding providedfor greenspace), to test assessment models and facilitate coordinated assessment and cleanup efforts
at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels; and 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 program (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
EPA has selected the City of East Moline to receive
supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot. East Moline (population
approximately 20,000) was founded as an industrial
center over a century ago, and heavy industry and
transportation have been the primary factors driving the
community's economy. This industrial history has leftan
environmental legacy in the area that has discouraged
newinvestmentandrevitalization. EastMoline's future
growth relies to a great degree on its ability to eliminate
the blighted areas throughoutthe community and ensure
growth and redevelopment of brownfields property.
The initial EPA Brownfields Assessment Demonstration
Pilot funds were used to assess a former city landfill and
the R&S Transportation site. These sites are situated
between the Mississippi River and downtown East
Moline in an area known as The Quarter. As a result of
the dump's assessment, cleanup and construction of the
first phase of the Beacon Harbor Parkway is underway,
and a2001 groundbreaking for an indoor soccer complex
is expected. The entire riverfront and downtown
redevelopment project area is 213 acres and contains
several known or suspected brownfields,
including thetargetarea. Approximately 16.3 percent
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Date of Award: April 2001
Amount: $150,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
three brownfields in an area
of downtown East Moline
known as The Quarter for
environmental assessments,
cleanup, and redevelopment.
East Moline, Illinois
Contacts:
City of East Moline
(309)752-1513
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 5
(312)353-0123
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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of East Molina's residents live in poverty, and the city
has an unemployment rate of 6.6 percent.
OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES
The City of East Moline plans to use supplemental
assistance funds to conduct environmental
assessments on three sites within The Quarter aswell
as pursue No Further Remediation Letters from the
Illinois EPA (IEPA) fortwo sites after enrolling them
in the state's Site Remediation Program (SRP). The
city's goal is to stimulate the economy of the downtown
area by spurring cleanup and redevelopment of The
Quarter—land uses such as a sports complex, an
interpretive nature center, offices, housing, a
restaurant, and a marina will create a new economic
base by creating jobs and increasing the tax base.
The Pilot plans to:
• Conduct Phase II environmental assessments on up
to three sites within The Quarter;
• Enroll two ofthese sites in the lEPA's SRP (voluntary
cleanup program);
• Prepare cleanup plans for the targeted sites in
conjunction with the voluntary cleanup program;
• Pursue No Further Remediation letters for the two
sites in the SRP; and
• Reconvene the Environmental Investigation
Committee to discuss and disseminate proj ect activity
information, and conduct extensive outreach through
community meetings.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Brownfields Supplemental Assistance East Moline, Illinois
April 2001 EPA 500-F-01-302
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