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                           Brownfields
                           Assessment
                           Southwestern Illinois Development
                           Authority, IL
BACKGROUND

EPA has selected the Southwestern Illinois Development
Authority (SWIDA) for a Brownfields Assessment Pilot.
SWID A, in collaboration with the Village of Brooklyn, has
targeted the entire Village of Brooklyn for the Pilot.
Brooklyn is a community of 676 people on the Mississippi
River, a designated American Heritage  River, five miles
north of St. Louis. The village is the planned site of a new
Mississippi River bridge connecting Missouri with Illinois.
Although Brooklyn has never been industrialized, it once
was a thriving railroad transportation corridor before the
decline of rail transportation led to the abandonment of
much of the railroad property in the village. Illegal dumping
soon followed on many of the sites. The U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers' initial site characterization of numerous
government-owned and railroad-owned properties in
Brooklyn raised concerns about real and perceived
contamination at these sites and focused attention on
Brooklyn' s economically deprived community.

Nearly  99 percent of Brooklyn residents are African
American. At one time, these residents provided low-
wage labor for the railroad and for industries in East St.
Louis. The decline of these major employers contributed
to the population decline in the village, where unemployment
exceeds 27 percent and the per capita income is only
$5,350.

OBJECTIVES

SWIDA's overall objective is to involve Brooklyn residents
in the redevelopment  of their brownfields and enhance
SWIDA's capabilities to address other brownfields. The
planned changes in the transportation infrastructure on the
Mississippi River promise to increase commercial activities
in the immediate vicinity of Brooklyn. The Pilot will assist
the SWIDA by funding environmental  assessments and
cleanup and reuse plans for several properties.
   PILOT SNAPSHOT
   Southwestern Illinois
   Development Authority,
   Illinois
Date of Announcement:
May 2002


Amount: $200,000

Profile: The Pilot targets
potentially  contaminated
brownfields in the Village of
Brooklyn, which is a small,
economically  distressed
community with a predominantly
minority population.
   Contacts:

   Southwestern Illinois        Regional Brownfields Team
   DevelopmentAuthority      U.S. EPA Region 5
   (618)345-3400           (312)353-0123
        Visit the EPA Region 5 Brownfields web site at:
          http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

      For furtherinformation, 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
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:

• Conducting Phase I environmental assessments on
  government-owned and railroad-owned sites to
  determine if they require subsurface investigation;

• Conducting Phase II environmental assessments on
  high-risk sites chosen during Phase I;

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• Designing cleanup plans and reuse options for targeted
  sites; and

• Fostering community awareness and involvement in the
  brownfields redevelopment process.

The cooperative agreement forthis Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore,
activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
                                                               Solid Waste            EPA 500-F-02-067
                                                               and  Emergency         May 2002
                                                               Response  (5105)       www.epa.gov/brownfields/

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