Brownfields are 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.
Brownfield to Greenfield
Groundwork Portland helps people reuse brownfields for community benefit. While the goal of most government programs is to reuse brownfields for economic development, many brownfield sites are being left behind because they are too small, surrounded by blight, or located in areas with other constraints, such as flood plains or dense residential neighborhoods. Groundwork Portland is working to fill the gap.
Brownfield Site Clean-up
The lot at 822 NE Emerson in Portland, Oregon was vacant since the 1950s. It may have been used to store and fix cars. Sampling revealed lead concentrations up to 32,400 PPM, arsenic up to 10.2 PPM and hydrocarbons up to 273 PPM. In the summer of 2010,volunteers moved the top six inches of contaminated soil to the back 25 feet of the site, where it is now secure behind a fence for additional testing and cleanup with innovative green techniques such as phytoremediation. After removal, new compost was added to the entire garden area and tilled to create clean and fertile soil for growing healthy crops. The most significant success from 2010 is that Emerson Garden was the approval from Department of Environmental Quality, through the Independent Cleanup Program (ICP),to begin gardening based on safe soil tests.
Emerson Garden site clean-up occurred by using compost from the garden to dilute the lead to safe levels, and removing excess lead-contaminated soil. Community-based research on the use of biochar is expected to happen using the contaminated soil from Emerson.
For more information about current Brownfield development and projects, please Contact Cassie Cohen at cassie@groundworkportland.org or 503.662.2590
