EPA Region 7 Recognizes City of Dubuque with Award for Environmental Practices

CONTACTS:
Benjamin Washburn, (913) 551-7364, washburn.ben@epa.gov or
Ashley Murdie, (816) 604-9275, Murdie.ashley@epa.gov   


April 19, 2018 -- For Immediate Release

DUBUQUE, Iowa — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 today recognized the City of Dubuque and John Deere Dubuque Works for their outstanding contributions to environmentalism and sustainability at Superfund sites.
 
Following a presentation at John Deere Dubuque Works this morning, EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford presented a Leading Environmentalism and Forwarding Sustainability (LEAFS) award to Dubuque Mayor Roy D. Buol at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Jule Operations and Training Center, which is located on an EPA Superfund site.  Two City staff, Transportation Services Director Candace Eudaley-Loebach and Project Manager Steve Sampson Brown, were among several individuals involved in the project to also receive certificates of appreciation from EPA Region 7 for their roles in the project.
 
“EPA is recognizing two organizations in Dubuque for leading innovative efforts that are transforming Superfund sites into productive reuse showcases,” Gulliford said. “Both the City of Dubuque and the team at John Deere Dubuque Works have earned this recognition through a steadfast commitment to their community. Cleaning up sites and restoring them to productive use is at the core of the Superfund mission, and we greatly value these efforts.”
 
EPA Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and nine Tribal Nations) established the LEAFS award to recognize those who have supported the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative through innovative thinking, sustainable practices, and environmental stewardship.
 
The City of Dubuque, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, as well as the MidAmerican Energy Company, earned the LEAFS award for its revitalization of the Peoples Natural Gas Superfund Site, transforming it into the Jule Operations and Training Center (JOTC). Actions taken at the site include:

• Constructing the building with very limited excavation, while using the foundation of the previous building.
• The grade was raised several feet to increase the distance between subsurface contamination and the building.
• The floor of the entire building is one piece and includes a vapor barrier to prevent vapor intrusion.
• New subsurface utility lines were specially constructed to prevent contact with contaminants and minimize the necessity for repairs.

For more information on the City’s actions to address contamination at the Jule Operations and Training Center site, visit: https://www.cityofdubuque.org/DocumentCenter/View/36756
 
According to the EPA, Region 7 is a highly rural region with lots of available greenspace. Many opportunities exist to revitalize these sites through creative thinking and environmental awareness. Sites that are successfully reused can benefit communities, developers, site owners, and local governments. These sites can also be redeveloped in a way that enhances the remedial actions taken and supports stewardship of the land. This award was established to recognize any and all of these outstanding efforts.
 
Previous LEAFS award winners include various stakeholders at the Chemical Commodities Inc. Site in Olathe, Kansas, in 2012; and Walmart and the Argentine Neighborhood Development Association for their reuse of the Kansas City Structural Steel Site in Kansas City, Kansas, in 2014.
 
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Learn more about the EPA Region 7 LEAFS Award:
https://www.epa.gov/superfund-redevelopment-initiative/epa-region-7-leading-environmentalism-and-forwarding