The Port of Whitman County has received a grant of $500,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to identify and assess brownfield properties throughout Whitman County.
The EPA says that a brownfield is a property for which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by a hazardous substance’s presence or potential presence. The Port’s grant application listed Colfax, Rosalia, and LaCrosse as potential target areas.
The Port’s initial steps include convening a Brownfields Advisory Committee, engaging with interested property owners, conducting public outreach, and identifying candidate sites. Then the grant will provide funding for Phase I environmental site assessments on nine properties and Phase II ESAs on five properties. Finally, cleanup plans will be developed for three properties, and reuse plans will be created for two key sites.