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Springfield, Mo., to Receive Help to Restore Ecosystems and Reduce Future Flood Damage Along Jordan Creek Corridor

Release Date: 03/09/2009
Contact Information: Belinda Young, (913) 551-7463, young.belinda@epa.gov

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Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., March 9, 2009) - EPA Region 7 is providing $65,000 in technical assistance to the City of Springfield, Mo., to assess 21 Brownfields properties in the Jordan Valley Corridor, with the ultimate goal of improving local ecosystems and reducing the potential damage to area businesses from persistent flooding along Jordan Creek.

EPA's assistance, provided through its Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) program, is critical to determining the feasibility of a broader storm water improvement project along Jordan Creek. The project is expected to significantly reduce flood risks in the commercial area, and reduce pollution in the stream, which should also improve environments downstream. Assessment of the 21 properties begins this week.

The City of Springfield, Mo. and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are partnering in a feasibility study of the Jordan Creek watershed for the purpose of flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration. Jordan Creek has flooded many times. In 2000, flooding caused an estimated $1.85 million in damage, including the interruption of traffic on main thoroughfares and rail lines.

Jordan Creek's existing channels and covered conduits are inadequate to carry a flow that has increased significantly with growing development in the Jordan Creek watershed.

In the late 1990s, the City of Springfield recognized the need to address and reuse contaminated sites within the Jordan Valley Corridor. In 1999, the City of Springfield received an EPA Brownfields assessment grant that was used to define contamination issues at Brownfields properties located in the corridor, and to support the community's Vision 20/20 plan.

The EPA Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) program is a voluntary and free program designed to help public entities and tribes minimize the uncertainties of contamination often associated with Brownfields. Properties that are publicly owned, and private properties for which substantial public benefit can be demonstrated, may be eligible.

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Learn more about the Brownfields TBA Program

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