As a municipality or developer, you are committed to redeveloping unusable, contaminated properties in your community and transforming them into assets. Because of their history, though, these properties often require Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) before redevelopment can begin. A significant aspect of brownfield redevelopment invo...
In the 1970s and 1980s, federal grants paid a majority of the costs to build or expand wastewater treatment plants. Many Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) constructed then had a lifespan of 40 to 50 years and have now reached the end of their service lives. Such wastewater treatment facilities face numerous challenges, including design inadequ...
Industrial activities such as manufacturing, mining, oil and fuel dumping, fertilizer application and improper waste disposal may contaminate the natural soil environment. The resulting heavy metals, organic and inorganic compounds, petroleum hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides present in the soil pose potential health ris...
Energy represents a significant expense across all stages of the wastewater treatment process — from raw sewage collection to effluent discharge. Wastewater treatment plants throughout the U.S. consume more than 30 terawatt hours per year of electricity, amounting to $2 billion in annual electric costs. Estimates suggest that electricity costs cons...
Iowa wastewater facilities design standards were adopted in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Today, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) supplements these specifications with the 10 States Standards to help municipalities design or upgrade Publicly-Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) in the state. However, the detailed design standards for POTWs...
Many communities suffer blight because of abandoned properties that do not generate value and pose a potential risk to public safety. Developers often consider abandoned properties — from small filling stations to industrial-scale factories — too complicated and costly for reuse. For municipalities, though, brownfield redevelopment projects offer o...
A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) represents the foundation of any responsible brownfield redevelopment project and provides legal protections for environmental liability, which is important for any landowner. The site assessment seeks to discover contaminants, hazardous substances or pollutants that may threaten site environmental...
Contaminant type and quantity, coupled with local effluent regulations, constitute key factors that influence a municipality's approach to wastewater treatment. Large amounts of oxygen-demanding substances, nutrients and synthetic organic chemicals in effluents today pose challenges far more complex than what most Publicly Owned Treatment Works (PO...
More than $12 million available; funding proposals accepted until Sept. 30 As teachers and students head back to their classrooms, I'm happy to see those in my hometown of Forreston, Illinois, have a safer way to get to and from school. Those who live or work nearby might have noticed some road construction this summer around the school build...
If you live in a community and use or drink city water, most likely you've heard of boil orders, advisories, notices or something similar. Even though it might sound self-explanatory, it's important to learn the why and the what to do when it happens. How did the idea begin?When John Snow, an English physician and leader in the development of anest...
An abandoned and underused brownfield is often an eyesore to the surrounding community. Additionally, brownfield sites present potential health and safety risks to community members. After redevelopment, though, the same contaminated site can enable sustainable land reuse and development, revitalize the local economy and transform the entire commun...
More than 450,000 brownfields across the U.S. are contaminated with lead, petroleum, asbestos, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other pollutants. Although redeveloping these brownfield sites holds immense potential for the local economy and the environment, municipalities often are unable to initiate such capital-intensive projects. A brownfie...
There's more good news and more grant money available to help stimulate local economies throughout Illinois. The $50 million Rebuild Illinois Main Street and Downtown Capital Program is the latest effort to stimulate local economies in areas hit hardest during the COVID-19 pandemic. "This first-of-its-kind program recognizes and addresses the impac...
The Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972 paved the way for the mass-scale construction of wastewater treatment plants across the United States. The significant improvement in the quality of effluent water at the time could be credited to these treatment plants, or Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs). However, most treatment plants at the time offered a...
Understanding and meeting municipal wastewater effluent standards will improve the quality and sustainability of your community, and it is not a challenge you have to meet on your own. Municipalities representing a wide range of sizes, densities and resources have met these standards. With the right partner to guide you through the process - a...
Storm Water Solutions captured the story on how Postville, Iowa, improved its water quality, stormwater management and public education, earning the 2021 Stormwater and Urban Watershed Partner of the Year.
Fehr Graham is working with communities across Illinois to develop strategies on how to win and invest their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. We are rapidly responding to emerging project needs and client priorities. Navigating the program and how to use the money can be a daunting task. Now is the time to act. And we're here to help. Gov. ...
Because money can be one of the major challenges when it comes to completing infrastructure projects, having multiple funding sources on a project is like a dream come true. Having various resources to pay for work reduces the burden on taxpayers and the need for what can sometimes turn into lengthy fundraising efforts. That was the case when it wa...
For those of us working to improve roads, water, sewer and the quality of life for all, it's an exciting time. After the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) passed on March 11, more than 19,000 municipalities in the U.S. will get money to make critical investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure. While the $195.3 billion allocated to state...
Fehr Graham Principal Joel Zirkle has worked on brownfield redevelopment for years to help communities throughout the Midwest littered with properties like the old Barber-Colman manufacturing complex in Rockford, Illinois. Many buildings that once employed hundreds, or even thousands of people, now sit abandoned and unsafe. Are you concerned about ...
