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BackgroundIn 1998, King County received a $200,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Assessment Pilot Grant. Between 1998 and 2008, the county has received an additional $1.4 million in EPA grant funds for assessment and cleanup of contaminated sites in King County. Grant funds have been used to contract with the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle (ECOSS) (external) to free technical assistance in assessing and cleaning up contaminated sites, also known as Brownfields. Grant funds have also been used to contract with consulting firm CDM to conduct Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments. A Brownfield is defined by EPA as "real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." The Brownfields Program were created out of the Duwamish Coalition, a public-private partnership that met from 1993 to 1997 to address economic development and environmental contamination in the Duwamish/Tukwila Manufacturing Industrial Center. The coalition was created to help implement the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) (external) by developing strategies to encourage development in urban areas, reduce sprawl, encourage economic development and protect the environment. In addition to receiving funds for assessment, King County has received additional EPA grant funds to clean up underground storage tanks on Brownfield properties, provide job training in Brownfield assessment and cleanup through the King County Jobs Initiative Program, and in partnership with the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, create a Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) (external) to make low-interest loans for Brownfield cleanup. Several specific sites have received comprehensive assistance from the Brownfields Program, resulting in their successful assessment, cleanup and redevelopment. Success stories include: | |||||||||||
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Updated: Feb. 17, 2009
