L'ortfields
•
;
-------
1?ortfieFtfs Onifiafive represents a mvtffi-~aqencM
I V-/ N-/
f effort to partner with focaf communities to
he(h revitafize their ports antf improve ovtr nation 's
marne ransporaon sysem we resornq
( j j
protecting ovtr coastaf resources,
"
— NO AA Administrator Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbachei; Jr.,
U.S. Navy (Ret.)
-------
Army Corps of Engineers
hat is Portfields?
• Portfields is a federal interagency partner ship addressing brownfields in and around port
communities, with an emphasis on the development of environmentally sound port
facilities.
• The Ports of Bellingham, Washington, New Bedford, Massac husetts, and Tampa, Florida
are designated as Portfields Demonstration Pilot Ports.
• Portfields, through increased federal, state, and local coordination, assists the Pilot Ports
in leveraging resources to revitalize waterfront areas, improve marine transportation, and
protect and restore critical habitat.
Why Portfields?
• Ninety-five percent of U.S. foreign trade travels through our nation's ports, contributing
$780 billion to the economy and employing 16 million people.
• Maritime trade is expected to double in the next 20 years.
• Many underutilized brownfields are located in and around our nation's port communities.
• Brownfields redevelopment is a critical solution to the many challenges facing ports, and
can be a catalyst for enhancing port capacity and infrastructure, and waterfront and
community revitalization.
• There is a need for better coordination among federal, state, and local agencies to leverage
resources and support port revitalization.
What are the goals of Portfields?
• Expedite the redevelopment of port communities in a manner that enhances port
infrastructure, protects human health, protects and restores critical habitat, ensures
homeland security, and provides economic opportunity and a better quality of life for
community residents.
• Focus and leverage the combined resources of federal, state, local, and private partners to
support redevelopment and revitalization efforts.
• Actively transfer best practices and lessons learned to other port communities.
Who are the Portfields Federal Partners?
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Environmental Protection Agency
Economic Development Administration
Maritime Administration
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of the Interior
Department of Labor
Portfields: Working Together to Revitalize Port Communities
-------
fyvtfaGze florf Communities?
To sustain and enhance our nation's economy...
America's coasts and waterways play a vital role in our nation's economy and
high quality of life. The benefits that ports bring to the communities they serve
extend iar beyond the boundaries of the waterfront. Our ports serve as gateways
to domestic and international trade, connecting the U.S. to the global
marketplace. According to the American Association of Port Authorities, 95
percent of U.S. foreign trade travels through the nation'sports, contributing $780
billion annually to the national economy and employing 16 million people.
To protect human health and the environment...
Our coastal areas and associated waterways represent some of the nation's most
valuable environmental resources, providing habitat for almost one-half of the
nation's protected, threatened, and endangered species. The location of ports
within these rich and sensitive environments generates a variety of environmental
and human health challenges, such as contaminated sediments, habitat
degradation, storm water runoff, air quality, oil spills, and potential introductions
of non-native species. Environmental quality is essential for sustaining coastal
and marine ecosystems, commercial and recreational fisheries, and the economic
vitality of port communities.
te s
To promote smart growth and clean up urban shorelin
As undeveloped land in ports becomes increasingly scarce, ports must look
toward revitalizing abandoned or underutilized properties. Approximately 10 to
15 percent of the estimated 500,000 brownfields nationwide are located along
waterways and within coastal communities. Cleaning up and redeveloping these
brownfields can put land back into productive use, enhance the economy, and
create jobs. The benefits of smart growth planning and brownfields revitalization
include air quality improvements, as well as protection of coastal habitat,
watersheds, and greenspace.
To ensure public access...
With nearly one-half of the country's population living near a coast, communities
benefit from having access to waterfront areas for recreation and leisure activities.
Redeveloping urban waterfronts improves the quality of life for citizens, and is an
important strategy for community revitalization.
-------
To provide for increased maritime trade...
The capacity of many ports is strained by increased maritime trade and the
increasing size of cargo and cruise vessels. Maritime trade is expected to double
over the next 20 years. Ports must increase their capacity, deepen and maintain
channels, and enhance infrastructure to allow for the efficient movement of goods
from the water to highway, air, and rail.
To enhance homeland security...
As gateways to the global marketplace, port communities play a key role in
homeland security. Ensuring the security of cargo, including more than seven
million containers moving through U.S. ports each year, is a considerable
challenge borne by ports. Ports also support the mobilization, deployment, and
supply of the U.S. military forces.
Portfields: Working Together to Revitalize Fbrt Communities
3
-------
\
Toqeffier
fo Ityrihdze
^Pori Communities
ortfields is a federal interagency partnership addressing
brownfields in and around port communities, with an
emphasis on the development of environmentally sound
port facilities. Through the Brownfields Federal Partnership,
the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is leading Portfields.
Seven other federal agencies—the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Commerce's
Economic Development Administration (EDA), the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (USAGE), the Department of
Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD), the
Department of Labor, the Department of the Interior (DOI),
and the Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD)—are committed to working together on Portfields.
Other vital stakeholders participating in Portfields include
port authorities, local governments, state governments,
private businesses, local communities, and non-profit
organizations.
-------
Port of Bellingham,
Washington
The goals of Portfields are to:
• Expedite the redevelopment of port communities in a
manner that enhances port infrastructure, protects
human health, protects and restores critical habitat,
ensures homeland security, and provides economy
opportunity and a better quality of life for community
residents.
• Focus and leverage the combined resources of federal,
state, local, and private partners to support
redevelopment and revitalization efforts.
• Actively transfer best practices and lessons learned to
other port communities.
Portfields builds upon the successes of brownfields
cleanup and redevelopment efforts over the past
decade. Port communities face a number of unique
challenges that require strong partnerships at all levels
of government and the private sector. Portfields brings
together federal, state, and local agencies committed to
working together to redevelop ports, both
environmentally and economically. By applying a
collaborative, integrated approach, P ortfields aims to
coordinate and leverage resources, provide more
efficient delivery of services, and develop creative
solutions to support port revitalization.
The Ports of Bellingham, Washington, Tampa, Florida,
and New Bedford, Massachusetts are designated as
Portfields Demonstration Pilot Ports. The Pilot Ports
were selected due to their commitment to
implementing innovative approaches to waterfront
planning and revitalization, the unique set of needs
they represent, and the overall value that federal
assistance will add to the ports' successful
redevelopment. Each of the Pilot Ports identified high
priority projects to focus on through the Portfields
initiative. The Portfields partners are providing
targeted resources to enhance local efforts, and support
the planning and implementation of projects to
revitalize waterfront areas, improve marine
transportation, and protect and restore critical habitat.
Portfields is demonstrating this cooperative and
integrated approach at the three Pilot Ports, and will
then transfer these tools, best practices, and lessons
learned to other port communities.
Port of New
Bedford.
Massachusetts
Port of Tampa,^
Florida
ERA'S Brownfields Program and Portfields
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states,
communities, and other stakeholders in economic
redevelopment to work together to assess, safely clean
up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. Brownfields
grants to local governments are the foundation of the
program and support community-based revitalization
efforts. Of the more than 1,000 brownfields assessment,
cleanup, revolving loan fund, and job training grants
awarded by EPA, more than 140 communities include
waterfront revitalization as a redevelopment goal. These
EPA-assisted port communities have leveraged more
than 13,000 cleanup- and redevelopment-related jobs
and nearly $3 billion in cleanup and redevelopment
funding. EPA and the other Portfields partners will work
closely with the three Pilot Ports to leverage resources
to revitalize idle and underused properties, further
leverage jobs and funding, and redevelop precious
waterfront areas.
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields
NOAA Coastal Brownfields and Portfields
NOAAfacilitates the conservation and management of
the nation's coastal and marine resources. NOAA's
brownfields-related activities focus on the
redevelopment of coastal brownfields properties and
the protection and restoration of coastal resources.
These activities are primarily carried out by the Coastal
Zone Management Program, the Office of Response
and Restoration, and the Office of Education and
Sustainable Development. NOAA provides technical
assistance on cost effective cleanup, risk assessment
and restoration solutions, training, and support to states
and communities to strengthen local and regional
capabilities to restore or redevelop contaminated
properties. NOAA also provides funding to coastal
states for brownfields redevelopment.
http://www.brownfields.noaa.gov
Portfields: Working Together to Revitalize Fbrt Communities
-------
J
Washington
he Port of Bellingham is located on the northern edge of
Puget Sound between Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver,
British Columbia. More than 1,500 acres comprise the Port,
including waterfront, commercial, and industrial areas, as
well as commercial airports. More than 200 companies
operate on port properties—major industries include
marinas, industrial manufacturing, ship building and repair,
break bulk cargo, seafood processing, cold storage, and
passenger ferries.
The Port of Bellingham and the community are engaged in a
coordinated economic revitalization and environmental
restoration effort within Bellingham Bay. Through Portfields,
the Port will build on its existing planning efforts to address
significant environmental contamination and revitalize idle
and abandoned waterfront properties. The Port will use
innovative ideas and resources from the participating
federal agencies to bolster its efforts in implementing a
comprehensive redevelopment strategy.
Washington
http://www. waterfrontfutures. org
http://www.portofbellingham. com
-------
Portfields Projects
• Central Waterfront: The Port of Bellingham is
working towards an agreement to acquire 137 acres
of waterfront property that previously operated as a
pulp and paper mill. Through the Waterfront Futures
Group, the Port and the community are creating a new
vision for their central waterfront, with a goal of
improving pub lie access to the waterfront, enhancing
the natural environment, and revitalizing the economy.
The acquisition of this property will give the
community the opportunity to shape the future of the
waterfront. Revitalization activities will include
assessing and cleaning up contaminated properties,
addressing sediment contamination in Bellingham
Bay, and preparing the site for reuse in an
environmentally sustainable way. The cleanup and
monitoring of contaminated properties is also an
opportunity to investigate streamlined approaches to
permit review and approval.
• Squalicum Creek: Squalicum Creek is an important
salmon-bearing creek that empties into a federal
navigation channel. The P ort is interested in improving
the navigation channel, redeveloping the surrounding
property, restoring the mouth of Squalicum Creek, and
possibly creating a new waterfront park. This will
expand local industry through improved cargo
iacilities, restore estuarine functions, support recovery
of the endangered salmon, and provide waterfront
access to local residents.
Coast Guard Base Expansion: The Port is working
with the U.S. Coast Guard to support the Guard's need
to expand local security operations, located near the
U.S.-Canadianbonder. The Port's efforts will facilitate
enhanced border patrols and homeland security.
Fusion Institute: The Port is working with federal,
state, and local partners, and Western Washington
University to form the Fusion Institute, that will
demonstrate Portfields concepts of brownfields
cleanup and reuse and economic revitalization. The
Institute will function as a regional center for
sustainable development, consultation, education,
research, and stewardship. The Institute would be built
on the Bellingham waterfront.
Tfie 'Potfof'B&tdnqham is "hohinq new
^J i ^-/
attention from federalaqencies wtfketh
^J i
hrinq new ideas and resources info our
^J
effort fo imhtemenia comprehensive
redevetohmenisiraiecjw,"
—Mike Stoner, Director of Environmental Programs
Port of Bellingham, Washington
Successes:
Planning the Squalicum Creek Restoration
Project
Local industry, the State of Washington, and the
Portfields partners provided $25,000 for the conceptual
design of the Squalicum Creek restoration and
redevelopment project.
Envisioning the New Fusion Institute
NOAA provided $30,000 for a feasibility analysis for the
Fusion Institute. NOAA and the Port of Bellingham are
creating a team comprised of Portfields partners, tribes,
state agencies, non-government organizations, the
Washington State Governor's Panel on Sustainability,
and local universities, to develop the conceptual vision
of the new Fusion Institute.
Central Waterfront Revitalization
The Waterfront Futures Group, sponsored by the Port of
Bellingham, completed a $500,000 project to create a
new vision and multi-year action plan for revitalizing the
city's waterfront. The plan will help the community
respond to significant losses in heavy industry and
increasing demand for commercial and recreational
opportunities.
Portfields: Working Together to Revitalize Port Communities
7
-------
"Bedford
« Rflooe
Massachusetts
' he Port of New Bedford is located on Buzzards Bay in
southeastern Massachusetts. The city has a rich maritime
heritage, and served as the location for Herman Melville's
famous novel, Moby Dick. The city's strong seafaring legacy
continues today. Home to one of the largest active fishing
fleets on the east coast, the Port of New Bedford also
provides passenger ferry service and cruise ship docks, and
is a center for recreational boating on Buzzards Bay. The Port
of New Bedford is a state Designated Port Area, which
protects the industrial uses in the lower harbor. New Bedford
was also designated a Brownfields Showcase Community,
serving as a national model that demonstrates the benefits of
focused, coordinated attention on brownfields.
Through Portfields, New Bedford seeks to improve the overall
health of the harbor environment and the public's ability to
use the resource, while facilitating economic revitalization.
New Bedford and the Town of Fairhaven will focus on high-
priority projects identified in the New Bedford/Fairhaven
Harbor Plan.
Massachusetts
-------
I
Portfields Projects
• Navigational Dredging: New Bedford/Fairhaven
Harbor includes one of the most complex Superfund
sites in the country. Due to high levels of
polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in the
harbor, navigational dredging has not occurred in 30
years. Channels are shoaled to levels above authorized
depths, limiting the size of ships and volume of cargo
that enters the harbor, negatively impacting the local
economy. New Bedford will apply a simplified
procedure mechanism known as the state enhanced
remedy under the Superfund cleanup program, to
streamline the dredging process by linking cleanup of
a Superfund site to navigational dredging.
• Waterfront Brownfields Cleanup andReuse: Hicks
Logan is a 130-acre waterfront neighborhood that
includes many brownfields. New Bedford seeks to
revitalize Hicks Logan into a mixed-use area that will
create needed housing and job opportunities as well
as open space, waterfront access, and recreational
boating Through a collaborative planning process and
the application of smart growth principles, New
Bedford plans to develop a 10-year revitalization plan
for Hicks Logan.
• Public Access to the Water: The Reliable Truss
property, a former lumberyard and truss manufacturing
center, contains lead-contaminated soil. The city's plan
includes cleaning up contamination, restoring habitat,
and turning the property into a waterfront park. The
new park will provide waterfront access to a nearby
neighborhood that has been without it for 30 years.
New Bedford also plans to improve the Gifford Street
and Pease Street boat ramps and restore habitat at
Palmers Cove.
"Nafiomfmsfmaffons sued as
florfftefas,. .prove fdafm are /evefoMm
i i ^-/
mnova five practices that not onfy affow us
to comb fete our projects here athome taut
\ \ ^J
become moffefs nationwide,"
—Mayor Frederick M. Kalisz, Jr.,
New Bedford, Massachusetts
March 29, 2004 State of the CityAddress
Successes:
Cleanup of Reliable Truss/River End Park
The City of New Bedford received a $200,000
Brownfields Cleanup Grant from EPA in June 2004 to
remove lead contaminated soil at the Reliable Truss
property.The city is also seeking state funds earmarked
for recreational projects in New Bedford to develop
design plans for the park, and intends to seek New
Bedford Harbor National Resource Damage
Assessment settlement funds to restore filled tidelands.
Planning Hicks Logan Revitalization
NOAA provided $20,000 to the New Bedford Economic
Development Council (NBEDC) to assist in the creation
of a 10-year revitalization plan for the waterfront Hicks
Logan neighborhood. The City of New Bedford, NOAA,
and NBEDC are working closely with the Economic
Development Administration to secure technical
assistance and Economic Adjustment Act funds. The
partners are also working to secure EPA Brownfields
and Smart Growth funding.
Navigational Dredging
The City of New Bedford received $5 million from the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the construction
of a confined aquatic disposal (CAD) site—when
dredged material is deposited in a trench and then
capped—and navigational dredging. A team that will
implement dredging under the state enhanced remedy
(SER) includes New Bedford and the Town of
Fairhaven, Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection, Massachusetts Division of
Marine Fisheries, Massachusetts Coastal Zone
Management, EPA, USAGE, and NOAA.
http://www. ci. new-bedford. ma. us/ECONOMIC/HDC/index.htm
Portfields: Working Together to Revitalize Port Communities
-------
PorfofTamfia
i
I Florida
ocated on Florida's Gulf Coast, Tampa is the gateway for
nearly half of all seaborne commerce in the state. Lying at
the northeast corner of Tampa Bay, an estuary of national
significance, the Port of Tampa strives to ensure that its
large-scale diversified enterprises operate safely and
responsibly within this fragile ecosystem. As one of the
largest tonnage ports in the U.S. and the largest in Florida,
the Port of Tampa annually handles 3,700 vessels and up to
50 million tons of cargo with phosphate, petroleum, and coal
as the top three commodities. The Port accounts for
108,000 jobs and $13 billion in spending with more than
11,000 trucks entering and exiting the Port daily. The Port is
also a major cruise ship homeport, with more than 830,000
passengers expected to arrive and depart in 2004.
The Tampa Port Authority controls 2,500 acres of port-
owned lands and has the responsibility for managing the
sovereign submerged lands of Tampa Bay within
Hillsborough County, including some of the most important
migratory bird nesting islands in the state. In addition, the
American Association of Port Authorities has recognized the
Port for excellence in environmental mitigation
improvements. Tampa seeks the opportunity to work with
federal agencies and other partners to facilitate
environmentally responsible redevelopment and to improve
economic conditions in and around the Port.
http://www. tampaport. com
10
-------
Portfields Projects
• Priority Brownfields Redevelopment: Tampa will
facilitate environmentally responsible redevelopment
and revitalization of the Port's three State of Florida-
designated brownfields properties and continue to
assess additional port properties within the city's
designated brownfields area.
• Habitat Protection and Enhancement: The Port
seeks to implement habitat protection and
enhancement, including shorebird habitat protection
and fish habitat creation, on several dredge spoil islands
adjacent to the main channel.
Bulkhead and Wharf Improvement: Tampa seeks to
(1) improve existing properties to accommodate
expanded container and other cargo trade; (2) repair
and improve existing petroleum transfer operations and
expand the Port's petroleum business; (3) improve and
expand container facilities infrastructure; and (4)
enhance existing deep water berth access.
Innovative Stormwater Treatment: The Port will
serve as a national model for innovative storm water
management by designing and building a network of
drainage ditches, retention ponds, and filtration
wetlands that will greatly improve water quality at the
Port.
Community and Workforce Development: Tampa
will work with local community colleges and maritime
industries to develop a technical training program to
prepare workers for positions in traditional industries,
such as ship repair, environmentally sound land
maintenance, and seaport construction.
Successes:
Innovative Stormwater Management
NOAA provided $45,000 to the Port of Tampa for
planning and design of Stormwater improvements at the
Port. This project will involve development of a
Geographic Information System, which will collect and
convert property boundary and topography data layers.
This will help the Port identify properties best suited for
installation of Stormwater management improvements.
"florffi'eftlsqives us aqmater opportunity
to further revitafize our Port in an
environmentally ana economically
^^/ ^/
responsible manner worKJna witn federal
i ^-/
partners and other stafafiofcfers."
—Dave Parsche, Environmental Director, Tampa PortAuthority
Florida
Portfields: Working Together to Revitalize Port Communities
-------
pplying a collaborative, results-oriented approach through
increased federal, state, and local coordination, Portfields will focus
on issues specific to brownfields restoration and community
revitalization in and around our nation's ports. Portfields, specifically
through on-the-ground work in the three Pilot Ports, will serve as a
platform for creative solutions, productive partnerships, and
innovation. The scope of Portfields activities will involve restoring all
environmentally sound uses of port and harbor areas that benefit
the economic, ecological, social, and security conditions of the port
community.
The Portfields partners will work in conjunction with the three Pilot
Ports to leverage both public and private investment in the port
communities' priority needs. Learning from both the successes and
hurdles encountered over the next year, the Portfields partners will
actively transfer best practices and lessons learned to other port
communities. As progress is continually made, new tools and
techniques will be made available through the Portfields Web site at
http://www.brownfields.noaa.gov.
-------
Federal Agency Contacts
Port Contacts
Environmental Protection Agency
Patricia Overmeyer
Office of Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment
(202) 566-2774
overmeyer.patricia@epa.gov
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
David Hoist
Office of Response and Restoration
(301) 713-2989, x161
David.Hoist® noaa.gov
http://brownfields.noaa.gov/htmls/portfields/portfields.html
Port of Bellingham
NOAA Contact
Mary Baker
NOAA/National Ocean Service
(206) 526-6315
Mary.Baker® noaa.gov
Port Contact
Mike Stoner
Port of Bellingham
(360) 676-2500
mikes@portofbellingham.com
Port of New Bedford
NOAA Contact
Robert Neely
NOAA/National Ocean Service
(508) 979-1707
Robert.Neely@noaa.gov
Port Contact
John Simpson
New Bedford Harbor Development
Commission
(508) 961-3000
jsimpson@www.new-bedford.ma.us
Port of Tampa
NOAA Contact
Kenneth Walker
NOAA/National Ocean Service
(301) 713-3155x157
Kenneth.Walker® noaa.gov
Port Contact
Robert Musser
Tampa Port Authority
(813) 905-5032
RMusser@tampaport.com
-------
~«r' *JHW
r Uhifed States
Environmental Profection-
Agency
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105-T)
EPA560-R-04-001
August 2004
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
------- |