The City’s brownfield selection committee has chosen Eocene Environmental Group, Inc. to oversee implementation of its EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant. These funds will cover costs associated with developing bid specifications and asbestos abatement activities at the seven-story former Rath Packing plant. The looming brownfields facility represents a symbol of the economic devastation that dramatically impacted the community… Read more »
epa brownfields
Check Presentation Ceremony Held
Local media provided coverage of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) $1 million Brownfields Multipurpose Grant check presentation ceremony at Waterloo City Hall on June 28, 2024. Attendees included representatives from EPA Region 7 and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The grant’s project period begins on October 1, 2024 and ends on September… Read more »
Rath Cleanup Project Brochure Available
Download a copy of the Rath Cleanup Project brochure.
Waterloo Awarded $1 Million Grant
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has awarded the City of Waterloo an FY 2025 Multipurpose Brownfields Grant for $1 million to carry out a range of assessment and cleanup activities on targeted properties. 178 communities across the United States received 181 grants totaling $231 million in funding. The City was one of… Read more »
Mental Health Facility Proposed
Black Hawk-Grundy County Mental Health Center has proposed the construction of a $7.4 million mental health housing facility at the former Alstadt Langlas Bakery located at 54 Lane Street. The project would feature 24 efficiency apartments for single occupancy designed to help individuals that are chronically homeless, in and out of correctional facilities, and have… Read more »
City Applies for Multipurpose Grant
The City of Waterloo has submitted a proposal for a $1 million FY24 EPA Brownfields Multipurpose Grant. If awarded, the funds will allow the community to continue conducting Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments, cleanup activities, and reuse planning on targeted brownfields. Efforts will focus downtown on the east side of the Cedar River… Read more »
IPR Highlights Youth Sports Facility
Iowa Public Radio (IPR) featured Waterloo’s newest brownfields project in a recent story (https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/2023-11-01/youth-sports-complex-proposed-for-waterloo-brownfield-site). The City is partnering with Waterloo Development Corporation (WDC) to construct a $32 million youth sports facility on a portion of the John Deere campus on Westfield Avenue. The lot has been vacant for nearly 20 years following demolition of several… Read more »
Brownfields Project Wins National Award
DETROIT, MI – This month the City of Waterloo received a Phoenix Award at the National Brownfields Conference in Detroit, Michigan. The honor recognizes the Jefferson Street Corridor for extraordinary brownfield redevelopment. A brownfield is a former industrial or commercial site where future use is affected by real or perceived environmental contamination. The City’s project… Read more »
Rath Project Receives Cleanup Grant
U.S. EPA has awarded the City of Waterloo a $642,400 Brownfields Cleanup Grant to remove asbestos containing material (ACM) from the 7-story former Rath Packing plant structure located at 1442 Sycamore Street. 262 communities across the United States received a portion of the $215 million in FY 2023 funding. The City was one of 14 recipients… Read more »
Brownfield Advisory Council Tours Sites
The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Brownfield Advisory Council hosted its January 4, 2023 meeting in downtown Waterloo. Committee members are tasked with reviewing and scoring applications submitted to the Brownfield and Grayfield Redevelopment Tax Credit Program with the purpose of making a recommendation to the IEDA board for final approval of awards. As part… Read more »