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New Environmental Solutions

EPA’s land revitalization initiatives are producing significant environmental benefits and helping to transform communities into more sustainableand livable places. The strategy of encouraging market-driven rede-velopment of brownfields and other contaminated sites for economicreuse is proving to be a successful approach at many sites. However,challenging real estate markets and economic realities can leavesome formerly contaminated properties unused, possibly for a longtime. New approaches are needed to revitalize these sites and protecthuman health and the environment.

EPA’s Land Revitalization Team is working with communities, states, otherfederal agencies, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, andthe private sector to develop and test new approaches that recognizevaluable reuse alternatives for formerly contaminated properties. Build-ing green infrastructure to help manage stormwater runoff and floods,promoting safe soil management to support urban agriculture, and sit-ing renewable energy on contaminated sites can bring environmental,ecological, and social benefits to communities. Unlocking the potentiavalue of these underused properties often requires creativity and closecollaboration with many public and private partners. These projectscan help stabilize communities and spur economic development.

Land Revitalization Fact Sheet

Improving Urban Soils

M

any urban areas are experi-encing a dramatic increase

in the number of vacantproperties, resulting in the underuseof significant tracts of land. In aneffort to revitalize these areas, com-munities are looking to reuse theseproperties as locations for greennfrastructure or urban agriculture.Green infrastructure is a term usedo describe an array of technologiesand practices that use natural plant-oil systems to enhance environmen-al quality and provide utility services

uch as reducing stormwater runoff.

Green infrastructure and urban agri-culture require soil conditions thatupport healthy plant growth. How-

ever, urban soils often are severelycompacted, lack sufficient organicmatter and nutrients, contain largeamounts of construction debris, andmay be contaminated, making them

nsuitable for these reuses.

he natural processes that generate

ealthy soils are often interrupted inan urban environment. Developmentprojects use heavy equipment forexcavation, grading, filling, paving,and building. These developmentactivities alter the condition andcharacteristics of urban soils andheir suitability for growing vegeta-on. The construction of pavements,

bagging and removal of leavesand grass clippings, and removal ofree branches prevent the cycling oforganic matter and nutrients backnto the soil. In heavily urbanizedareas such as downtowns, the mostcommon soil characteristic is com-paction.

Heavily compacted soils can act likepavement and not readily absorbtormwater runoff. Compacted soils

contain less oxygen, water, organicmaterials, and microbiological activ-

ity than natural soils. Contaminantsthat can be found in urban soilsinclude heavy metals, hydrocarbons,and industrial chemicals. In olderresidential areas, contaminants caninclude lead paint residues, asbes-tos, coal and wood ash deposits,used motor oil residues, and pesti-cides. Residential areas will typicallyhave less compaction and betterquality soils than more heavily urban-ized areas.

If a community plans to reuse a sitefor urban agriculture or green infra-structure, site soils will need to betested to determine its suitability forgrowing plants and for potential risksto human health. If this evaluationdetermines that soils are unsuitablefor the site’s intended purpose, thensoils will need to be reconditionedto support plants or contamination

will need to be removed. In genethe objective is to restore disturbeurban soils to a condition consistewith undisturbed soils.

Sites intended for urban agricultumay need considerable reconditing to grow crops, whereas areasintended for recreation (parks, pl

Example of of the effect of soil

compacting from foot traffic.


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United States Office of Solid Waste and EPA 560-F-11-008

Environmental Protection Emergency Response April 2011

Agency (5105T) www.epa.gov/brownfie

More Information:

Visit EPA’s green infrastructure website at http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=298Visit EPA’s Land Revitalization program website at http://www.epa.gov/landrevitalization/

Cleveland Green Infrastructure Project

The Bellaire Puritas DevelopmentCorporation undertook a project in2010 to implement green infrastruc-ture at a vacant parcel located

at West 131st Street in Cleveland,Ohio. Water levels in the adjacentChevy Branch stream increasedramatically during and after rainevents due to runoff from impervi-ous surfaces in the area.

Green infrastructure was seen asa beneficial reuse at this locationbecause retaining and infiltrat-ing stormwater helps to reducethe volumes of water in the stream

and the associated adverse waterquality impacts. The home anddriveway previously on this sitehad been demolished. Testing ofsoil conditions by the EPA Office ofResearch and Development foundsoils compacted and poorly suitedfor infiltrating stormwater or growingplants. Low levels of lead also werefound in the soils.

Restoration activities included physi-cally loosening the soil, removingdebris, grading to create a swale,excavation to create a rain garden,

and amending the soil with a mix ofcompost, sand, and topsoil. The raingarden and swale will retain runofffrom the drainage area and reducelocalized flooding in the area. Thesoil amendments will allow plantingof the rain garden and swale withnative plants and broadcast seedingof the remaining portions of the siteusing native grasses and floweringplants.

The restoration work was done by aprivate contractor and cost approxi-mately $13,500. Signage was in-stalled with information on the ChevyBranch, native plants, and greeninfrastructure. This formerly vacantparcel will soon be a productive andeducational green space that helpsto protect the surrounding residentialarea from flooding.

Partners in this project are the U.S.EPA, community members, Neigh-

borhood Progress Inc. (NPI), Park- Works, Inc., Cuyahoga County Soiand Water Conservation District(SWCD), Ohio State University, andthe Northeast Ohio Regional SeweDistrict (NEORSD). Funding for thisproject was provided by NEORSDand NPI.

Example of demolition debris left in

soil following a home demolition.

grounds, hiking trails) may only needmoderate soil reconditioning to allowfor vegetation restoration. Urban sitesthat will be transformed into natural,open spaces may need the leastamount of soil reconditioning.

A key to improving urban soil char-acteristics is that long-term manage-

ment is needed to ensure successfulreconditioning. Soil management isa dynamic process usually requir-ing a large initial effort with smaller

sustained efforts to achieve a lasbeneficial result. Ongoing maintenance (watering, mulching, weeding) is needed to ensure the projeperforms as expected. The EPA isworking with communities to detemine best practices and strategiefor improving urban soils.

Site after demolition.
http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=298http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=298

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