The Dalles City Council met last night. One of the key items on the agenda was a report on a $600,000 grant obtained by a coalition of the City of The Dalles, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District and the Port of The Dalles. The grant, from the Environmental Protection Agency, is for the study of brownfield sites in The Dalles.
The definition of brownfield is “property where expansion, redevelopment or reuse is complicated by the presence or suspected presence of environmental contamination.
There are a number of potential brownfield sites in the city – places where former gas stations existed that may have leaking underground tanks, or buildings with asbestos or lead-based paint. The presentation was made by Leonard Farr of Stantec Consulting Services, who said that brownfield problems sometimes surface when getting a bank loan or selling property. He said the grant offers real benefits for property owners to get involved:
“We can offer free services to those participants. A Phase 1 environmental site assessment typically has a cost of about $5,000. If sampling is warranted, those studies often cost $25,000 or so. The main benefit of participation is getting work done that they would have to pay for themselves covered by the program.”
Interested property owners can contact The Dalles Planning Department, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District or the Port of The Dalles.