What's New

Archive of 2008 What's New Announcements

Announcements, new pages, new publications, revisions and notices from 2008.

7/11/08: New Historic Registry of Waste Disposal Sites Screening Process and Spreadsheet

DNR is screening all the sites listed in the obsolete 1999 publication Registry of Waste Disposal Sites (RR-108), and has replaced that publication with an on-line spreadsheet that shows DNR's progress in completing the screenings. After screening, each location in the Registry will be either 1) added to the Bureau for Remediation and Redevelopment Tracking System (BRRTS), 2) added to the Solid & Hazardous Waste Information Management System (SHWIMS), or 3) archived. To learn more about this process, and to access the new tracking spreadsheet, go to the DNR's new Historic Registry of Waste Disposal Sites web page.

7/11/08: Vapor Intrusion Training on September 23, 2008

On Tuesday, September 23, the Federation of Environmental Technologists (FET, Southeast WI Chapter) and DNR’s Remediation and Redevelopment (RR) Program are co-sponsoring "Vapor Intrusion Sampling for the Environmental Professional" in Brookfield. This seminar will provide a comprehensive training course for project managers and consultants on properly collecting soil gas samples through a variety of methods. Speakers include representatives from DNR and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, as well as representatives from private environmental consultants and laboratories.

Registration is due by September 19. Fees, which include lunch, are $135 for FET members and $160 for non-members. Check in is at 7:30 a.m. and the program runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For a complete agenda, the seminar location and the registration form, please see the FET web page [exit DNR].

7/7/08: Brownfields Study Group Meeting Rescheduled for Friday, July 18

The Brownfields Study Group will meet on Friday, July 18, at the DNR's GEF 2 building, 101 S. Webster St., Madison [exit DNR], in Room G09 (lower level meeting room), from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, and an agenda, see the Brownfields Study Group web page or contact Andrew Savagian (608.261.6422).

6/30/08: Dry Cleaner Training Webcasts Available

Webcasts are available from the recent Dry Cleaner Environmental Reimbursement Fund (DERF) outreach meetings. To see the webcasts, visit our DERF web page.

6/18/08: Central Office RR Program Moves Back to GEF2

The Remediation & Redevelopment Program's Central Office staff have moved offices again - this time back to GEF2. The RR Program is now located on the 5th Floor of GEF 2, at 101 S. Webster St. in Madison. Staff phone numbers and email addresses will stay the same. If you need to mail anything to the Madison office, please use the following address:

Remediation & Redevelopment Program - RR/5
DNR
PO Box 7921
Madison, WI 53707-7932

6/11/08: Thursday's Brownfields Study Group Meeting in Baraboo Cancelled

Due to the recent flooding in the Baraboo area, Sauk County and most of southern Wisconsin, and because the forecast for tomorrow is for an additional 2-3" of rain in this part of the state, we are erring on the side of caution and cancelling the Brownfields Study Group meeting scheduled for tomorrow, June 12, at the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center near Baraboo.

The safety of everyone involved, especially when traveling to and from the meeting tomorrow, is our utmost concern. We will reschedule the meeting for another time, with the goal of again holding it at the Leopold Legacy Center.

If you have any questions, please contact Andrew Savagian (608.261.6422).

6/9/08: Re News June Issue (Volume 18 Number 2) Now Available

Re News, the RR Program's on-line quarterly newsletter for June, 2008 (RR-799) [PDF, 2,796KB] is now available! This issue's stories include: DNR response letters, Site Assessment Grant awards, EPA brownfields grants, the Dry Cleaners application deadline, a successful brownfields redevelopment in Superior, and much more!

5/20/08: Updated “FAX” Form May Now Be Emailed to DNR for Notification of Contamination

The old “FAX” form is now the "Notification For Hazardous Substance Discharge" (Form 4400-225) [PDF, 421KB}. The form is commonly used to notify regional staff in the RR Program about the discovery of contamination. The updated form may be emailed to DNR as well as faxed.

5/14/08: Case Closure Forms Updated

The RR Program now has three important new and revised case closure forms:

Be sure to use these new forms for your next closure request. If you have any questions about the forms, contact Jane Lemcke (608.267.0554).

4/10/08: Governor Signs Brownfields Legislation Making Ready for Reuse Loan Easier to Use

On Thursday, March 27, Governor Doyle signed Senate Bill 202/Assembly Bill 706 [PDF, 7KB] into law, which authorizes local governments to more easily issue debt for public brownfields projects.

This new law grants specific authority to local units of government, including cities, villages, towns, counties, metropolitan sewerage districts, and town sanitary districts, to issue municipal obligations in anticipation of receiving proceeds from brownfields revolving loan program loans or grants. Such obligations must be repaid within 10 years or, if refinanced once, within 15 years. The 15 year or less note does not count as municipal debt, per the new statute. The bill also specifies that local units of government may issue promissory notes, which must be repaid within 20 years, for public purposes related to the brownfields revolving loan program.

For more information, see our Ready for Reuse Program web page.

4/8/08: New RR Web Pages for Environmental Site Assessment

To increase understanding of the overlapping state and federal considerations for environmental assessment of property, we have developed four new web pages covering environmental site assessment (ESA) and state and federal liability. Please contact Laurie Egre (608.267.7560) with any questions on these topics.

4/8/08: EPA Awards Fourteen Brownfields Grants in Wisconsin

Seven communities in Wisconsin have received fourteen EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grants and Brownfields Assessment Grants totaling $2.8 million. To learn more about the awards, please visit the EPA Brownfields web page [exit DNR].

4/4/08: DNR to hold April 22 Open House on Brownfields Site Assessment Work In The 30th Street Corridor

The DNR, through grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has partnered with the City of Milwaukee and the 30th Street Industrial Corridor Corporation (ICC) to assess brownfield properties in the 30th Street Industrial Corridor. “Brownfields” are abandoned or underused properties with known or perceived contamination.

Officials from the DNR and the city, and state and local health officials will be on hand at the Open House to talk about what brownfields are, how the partners are using the grant funds, what kind of work is being conducted, and future re-uses of these properties. Through this informal session, the partners will seek community input on these site assessments, with plans to host additional events in the future. We hope you can attend!

DNR Open House
Brownfields Site Assessment Work In The 30th Street Corridor
Tuesday, April 22, 4-7 p.m.
Fitzsimonds Boys & Girls Club Cafeteria
3400 W. North Avenue, Milwaukee

For more information, see our our RR Calendar of Events and our 30th Street Assessment web page.

3/3/08: Re News March Issue (Volume 18 Number 1) Now Available

Re News, the RR Program's on-line quarterly newsletter for March, 2008 (RR-790) [PDF, 1,994KB] is now available! This issue's stories include: keeping track of groundwater monitoring wells, new federal UST reporting requirements, brownfield tax incentives, the RR Program's new CLEAN web page, a successful brownfield redevelopment project along the Milwaukee River, and much more!

3/3/08: Brownfields Study Group To Meet March 26 In Madison

The Brownfields Study Group, a state-wide advisory task force created by the Wisconsin Legislature, will meet Wednesday, March 26, at the UW-Madison's Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St., Madison, from 9:30 a.m.- 3 p.m. The Study Group has been meeting since 1998, and works with staff from the DNR, Department of Commerce and other state agencies on enhancing and expanding Wisconsin's brownfields initiatives. Potential topics discussed at the meeting will include budget issues for state brownfields programs, brownfields legislation, state agency updates and more. All Study Group events are free and open to the public. For more information, see the Brownfields Study Group web page.

2/25/08: Tuesday, 2/26/08, South Central Region Brownfields Seminar Postponed Due to Weather

DNR's South Central Region is postponing its consultant seminar on brownfield grants that had been planned for tomorrow, February 26th. Instead, this free session will be held on Tuesday, March 4th, from 9:00 a.m. until noon at the DNR Service Center, 3911 Fish Hatchery Road in Fitchburg, in the Gathering Waters/Glaciers Edge rooms. Topics will include maximizing points on Site Assessment Grant applications, writing applications so that DNR and Commerce don't have follow up questions, and the level of project readiness that Commerce and DNR are seeking. Discussions will cover DNR Brownfield Site Assessment Grants, Green Space and Public Facilities Grants and Ready for Reuse Loans and Grants. Commerce staff will cover their Blight Elimination and Brownfield Redevelopment Grants.

There's still room, so if you can make it on March 4th, please contact Terry Nolan (608.273.5600).

2/15/08: New Publication Available

A new publication, Assessment Guidance for Sites with Residual Weathered Product (RR-787) [PDF, 1001KB], has been jointly developed by the departments of Commerce and Natural Resources to help assess the environmental impacts of weathered petroleum product, i.e. light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPL).

1/16/08: Reminder -- Green Space & Public Facilities Grant Applications Accepted Starting January 25

The application form for Brownfield Green Space and Public Facilities Grants is now available, and applications will be accepted starting January 25, 2008. The application period will remain open until February 6, 2009, or until all available funds have been awarded. DNR's goal is to award half of the funds for the biennium by June 30, 2008 to qualified projects that are clearly ready to proceed with cleanup. For more information and to download the application form and instructions, please see our Green Space Grant web page.

For more information on this specific page, contact:

Andrew Savagian

Last Revised: Wednesday August 20 2008