Brownfields Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet

PILOT SNAPSHOT
Davenport, IA	Date of Announcement: April 2001 Amount: $200,000 Greenspace: $50,000
Profile: The Pilot targets brownfields in a 2,450-acre abandoned industrial area located along the Mississippi River. Sites to be assessed will be selected with the goal of increasing affordable housing in the city and revitalizing community centers.

BACKGROUND

EPA has selected the City of Davenport for a Brownfields Assessment Pilot. The city also was selected to receive additional funding for assessments at brownfield properties to be used for greenspace purposes. Davenport has targeted 2,450 acres along the Mississippi River for this Pilot. The economic base of Davenport (population 98,256) moved away from the river decades ago, and many manufacturing operations in the project area closed, leaving an estimated 100 sites that have possible environmental problems.

Within the Pilot area, the city has identified two specific areas, including a wetland, for reclamation and enhancement using greenspace funding under the Pilot. The area includes a wide range of land uses, including undeveloped riverside parcels, active manufacturing facilities, and idled facilities such as former coal gasification plants, packing houses, lumber yards, and rail yards. The area also includes undeveloped riparian habitats. The 8,271 residents in and near the Pilot area are 11 percent minority, with a poverty rate of 19 percent, and a per capita income of $9,972. The economy of the targeted area has been relatively stagnant compared to the rest of Davenport.

OBJECTIVES

The city's long-term objective is to redevelop the riverfront and increase affordable housing in and near the Pilot area. As part of this objective, the Pilot will establish the West Davenport Brownfields Partnership Team (BPT), identify candidate sites, complete Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, and evaluate cleanup options. The BPT will provide strategies for public participation, propose candidate sites, set criteria for selection of sites that will receive detailed assessments, and present recommendations to the city.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:

• Establishing the West Davenport Brownfields Partnership Team to provide overall guidance for the Pilot;
• Identifying candidate sites within the target area;
• Conducting Phase I environmental site assessments at approximately 30 sites; and
• Conducting Phase II environmental site assessments and cleanup planning at four sites.

The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.

CONTACTS

City of Davenport
(319) 326-7711

Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 7
(913) 551-7988

Visit the EPA Region 7 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/brownfields/index.htm.

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/