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City of Waterloo EPA Brownfields Program

The Situation

The City of Waterloo faced significant challenges associated with brownfields in its urban core including a looming 8-story former meat packing plant surrounded by a residential neighborhood. These problematic properties were limiting economic growth opportunities and threatening human health and the environment. Cleanup liabilities deterred private investors and developers from the area.

Our Solution

Eocene Environmental Group was a chosen partner to lead Waterloo’s brownfields grant strategy and implementation. Eocene staff authored four successful EPA Brownfields grant applications since 2010, securing more than $2.8 million in funding for the city.

Eocene’s services included:

  • Writing and managing EPA brownfields program grants.
  • Ensuring compliance with all grant terms and conditions.
  • Conducting public outreach and stakeholder engagement.
  • Performing Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs).
  • Leading interagency coordination with state and federal officials.

Across multiple grants, Eocene has helped the city strategically prioritize properties for redevelopment, complete dozens of ESAs, and actively engage the community, including managing its brownfields website (www.thenewwaterloo.com). This has resulted in the community leveraging millions in private/private investment.

Summary of Client

Waterloo, Iowa, is a diverse, midsized
community of approximately 67,000 residents, serving as a central economic hub in northeast Iowa. The former “factory city of Iowa” historically built its economy on several large industrial operations and access to an expansive railroad network. The city’s fortunes abruptly changed in the 1980s as a deep agricultural recession dramatically shook the community that overly depended on a narrow economic foundation.

At a Glance

Eocene’s work directly enabled significant redevelopment progress across Waterloo.

Results

Eocene designed and implemented floodplain reconnection, meander creation and riparian buffer enhancements. The work increased recreational opportunities and provided ecological benefits such as habitat diversity and improved water quality.

2023 Cleanup Grant

  • Wrote and successfully secured the $642,400 grant.
  • Secured $20,260 in Iowa DNR 128(a) funding to conduct additional ACM curvey work.
  • Abated asbestos containing materials from the structure.

2024 Multipurpose Grant

  • Completed nine Phase I, three Phase II, and eight supplemental Phase II ESAs.
  • Enabled $56 million renovation of the historic black’s building and $6.5 million renovation of the historic central battery building.

Waterloo’s cumulative brownfields success resulted in national recognition, with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency awarding the city the Phoenix Award at the 2023 National Brownfields Conference.

Learn More About the Eocene Environmental Group Team/

Eocene has an experienced and passionate team of biologists, archaeologists, environmental planners, foresters, arborists, agronomists, animal scientists, sustainability risk specialists, software developers and engineers. Check out the “Our People” page to learn more about our team.

Our People
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