Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Fact Sheet

PILOT SNAPSHOT
	Date of Announcement: March 2000 Amount: $100,000
Target Area: City of Everett, WA Profile: The Pilot will target the stream and wetlands corridor that lies between the Simpson Mill and landfill sites and that flows into the Snohomish River.

BACKGROUND

EPA awarded the City of Everett supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. Everett is bordered on the east by the Snohomish River, a significant habitat for protected fish species, including chinook salmon and bull trout. Economic disruption has persisted in parts of Everett since the 1970s. At that time, local base industries began shifting away from forest products and other natural resources to technology and aerospace. As this shift occurred, lower-skilled jobs became increasingly scarce, and pulp mills remain idle today. Currently, 21.4 percent of Everett's population lives below the poverty level.

Two contiguous properties owned by the city and totaling approximately 220 acres are the continuing target of the Pilot. Together, these properties represent the largest undeveloped site north of Seattle. The first property (approximately 80 acres) was used as a burn dump, scrap metal burial site, and municipal landfill. The second property (approximately 140 acres) was used as a pulp mill, log storage site, and railway car washing site. These sites lay next to sensitive wetlands and a river estuary. Earlier site investigations have revealed the presence of contaminants which may be affecting the river and groundwater.

OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES

Everett's brownfields efforts are part of a larger Snohomish River redevelopment project. Through this project, the city is exploring cleanup and redevelopment options for two targeted brownfields. The redevelopment project is dependent on three factors: an assessment of the property, relocation of railroad tracks, and restoration of the stream and wetland corridor for surface water runoff and fisheries habitat improvements.

The Pilot's assessment work will facilitate redesign of the stream corridor to improve water quality, habitats for fish species covered by the Endangered Species Act, and open space and recreational opportunities on the site.

To accomplish these objectives, the Pilot plans to:

• Conduct a water quality and soil-sampling program;

• Sample and analyze hydrologic conditions, including timing, frequency, volume, and velocity of flows at the site to assess the quality of the existing wetlands and evaluate alternatives;

• Design the channel and wetlands reconstruction to reconnect the stream to the river and create interconnecting pools that will provide slow-water habitats for salmon; and

• Prepare a revegetation plan for the site, which will include incorporating native wetland species.

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

CONTACTS

Department of Planning and Community Development
City of Everett
(425) 257-8769

Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 10
(206) 553-2100

Visit the EPA Region 10 Brownfields web site.

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/