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The GIS Brownfields development project that I have chosen to study is the Charleston/North Charleston South Carolina Community-based Environmental Project.   I have chosen to study how GIS will impact with the Charleston/North Charleston South Carolina (C/NC CBEP) project. The C/NC CBEP is an enterprise community that has tried to deal with the environmental problems or potential sources of chemical releases in the area. The enterprise community is made up of 39 neighborhoods and communities.

In March of 1997, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) entered into a cooperative agreement with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) to provide technical assistance and support of the Charleston/North Carolina CBEP effort. The MUSC, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), and the EPA collected environmental data that focused on the Charleston/North Charleston area.

The data that MUSC, SCDHEC, and the EPA collected has been used to provide basic information on the identities and locations of regulated sites of documented contamination and other related issues. The data collected is to be designed for residents, local officials, and others to learn about the environmental concerns in the CBEB community. In addition, the data collected will also serve as starting point to further investigate specific health and environmental concerns.

The purpose of this study is to understand the impact of the nine former phosphate fertilizer sites in the Charleston/North Charleston area. The nine former companies are Swift Fertilizer, Wando Phosphate Works, Stono Phosphate Works, Atlantic Phosphate, Columbia Nitrogen, Ashepoo Phosphate Works, Pacific Guano, Etiwan Phosphate, and W.R. Grace Company. The enterprise community (see map) is a low-income 70% minority area. Unfortunately only 40% of these residents have quality health care. In addition to these hazardous fertilizer sites there are other industrial facilities that impact this are as well. Together these industries produce, the emission of particulates and gaseous wastes to the air; generation of hazardous waste; discharge of treated wastewater to rivers; use of toxic chemicals; landfills; dry cleaners; and underground storage tanks
 
 

The fertilizer sites that were listed are potential brownfield developments due to their toxicity.  GIS has been used to map the fertilizer sites and all other toxic industries in the enterprise community. GIS has been used to map these sites to record important information such as, the 39 communities that make up the Charleston/North Charleston Area; Underground Storage Tank release sites; Abandoned and closed hazardous waste sites; National Priority List sites (NPL); Toxic Release Inventory facilities; hazardous waste generators; hazardous waste facilities treatment storage, and disposal; minor and major air regulated facilities; wastewater discharges; and solid waste and landfill sites.

The application of GIS has allowed the City of Charleston’s environmental program to obtain a better understanding of the environmental impact on the enterprise community. GIS was used to map all of the environmental contributions made by these industries in the enterprise community. GIS makes the brownfields development process a lot easier because it causes industries that produce toxic waste to be held accountable for their toxic wastes.  The hazardous waste sites listed on the National Priority List were also mapped by using GIS. GIS has helped the resident in the enterprise community establish a foundation for their complaints reported to the EPA and other environmental justice agencies. GIS has served as a blueprint for air, water, and vegetation quality in these toxic areas. GIS has provided a “hands on” picture of the environmental hazards in the enterprise community.
 
 

John and Bertha Stafford, Romarie Whaley, Debbi Rhoad, and Angie Evans are residents of the Enterprise
community.  The Staffords are president and residents of the Four-mile Community. The Four-mile community is 1 out of the 39 communities that is being affected by the 25 brownfields developments. Romarie Whaley is the president of the Charleston/North Charleston Community-Based Environmental Protection Program and of the Rosemont neighborhood. Rosemont is another of the community that is affected by the brownfields development. Debbi Rhoad is the Property Standards Administrator for City of Charleston. Ms. Rhoad was also interviewed to explain her toxic environment encounters in North Charleston.  Angie Evans is the director of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Parenting that was funded by the Enterprise Community Grant. She resides in the Westside neighborhood.   A sample of the stakeholder interview questionnaire is at Appendix A.
 
 

In addition to the community resident interviews, I decided to get the opinion of administrators in the public
policy field of brownfields. I interviewed Michael Juras, whom is a administrator for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. He works to implement federal and environmental laws. I interviewed Michael to ask him about his opinions of brownfields and how GIS has helped him. In the interview, Michael explained the reason for the level of brownfields in the Enterprise community. He explained that originally, the Enterprise community (neck area) was the place that freed Blacks settled after the Civil war. The area where the Blacks settled is was the first community outside of the downtown, White community. Employment at shipping companies is the reason for Blacks settling in this area. As the years moved on, the City of Charleston expanded and turned to the neck area, pushing Blacks in to the migrate into the contaminated areas of town.

I asked Michael for perspective of the huge cleanup problems with Brownsfields in Charleston, South Carolina.  “People who live in the neck area (Enterprise community) are a paycheck for the South Carolina government. The government doesn’t do a lot of tangible things to save these communities”, said Michael.  He believes that the government is not taking responsibility and they are not being held accountable for their minor efforts to cleanup Brownsfields in Charleston.  Michael explained that GIS has and will play a huge part in the Brownsfield cleanup efforts. “GIS will help map potential Brownsfields that might come from the pollution from the mass amount of mobile source pollution from the new Cooper River Bridge. It will also help map other Enterprise community problems like, flooding, condemned buildings, and crack houses.
 
 

The City of Charleston has come up with two programs to help with the brownfield development problem. The Charleston Enterprise Community Brownsfield Pilot Program and the Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund were developed by the City of Charleston’s Department of Housing and Community Development; Charleston Citywide Local Development Corporation; Concurrent Technologies Corporation; and the Medical University of South Carolina Environmental Biosciences Program. The original capital for the Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan was established by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  The Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) was established to provide low interest loans to developers, property owners and other community stakeholders interested in the cleanup and remediation of brownfields properties.  The goals of the Charleston Empowerment Corporation is to create sustainable, healthy, balanced neighborhoods that promote economic growth and opportunity without compromising the quality of life for residents in the Enterprise Community (EC).  The long term goal is to redevelop the Northern Peninsula of the EC into a thriving corridor rich with retail, mixed commercial and light industrial uses, accessible employment opportunities, parks, public green spaces and safe and secure residential neighborhoods.

The City of Charleston’s Enterprise Community Program is neighborhood economic and revitalization initiative that focuses on fostering economic development, improving the delivery of health/human services and revitalizing neighborhoods.  BCRLF loans may be used for removal activities, including demolition and/or site preparation or cleanup.  BCRLF activities include cleanup actions associated with removing mitigating or preventing the release or threat of a release of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant, including:

A. Fences, warning signs or other security or site control precautions;
B. Drainage controls;
C. Stabilization of berms, dikes, or impoundment’s or drainage or closing lagoons.
D. Capping contaminated soils;
E. Using chemicals and other materials to retard the spread or the release or mitigate its effects;
F. Excavation, consolidation, or removal of highly contaminated soils from drainage or other areas;
G. Removal of drums, barrels, tanks, or other, bulk containers that container may contain hazardous substances,
     pollutants or contaminants
H. Containment, treatment, disposal or incineration of hazardous materials;
I. Provision of alternate water supply where necessary immediately to reduce exposure to contaminated household water.

The borrower’s ability to directly create and/ or retain jobs or to otherwise positively affect the area’s economy is a primary factor in the evaluation and selection of loan applications.  Other selection criteria include:

A. Owner / operators that acquired property after the time of disposal and has not caused, contributed to, permitted or
     exacerbated the release of a hazardous substance on or emanating from the property is eligible.
B. A borrower must submit information regarding their environmental compliance history
C. Each borrower must certify that they are not currently, nor have they have been, subject to any penalties resulting from
     environmental noncompliance at the site subject to the loan

The funds provided for the BCRLF project will be utilized to provide loans to eligible borrowers to finance the cleanup of brownfields sites and the expenses associated with administrative management. The average loan size is 95,000. There is a maximum and minimum loan amount available to borrowers based on the purpose of the loan. The loan terms range from a minimum of two years to a maximum of seven years.

The Charleston Enterprise Community Brownfields Pilot Program was established in 1998. The goal of the CECBPP is to help the Charleston Enterprise Community creates sustainable, healthy, balanced neighborhoods and to promote economic growth and opportunity that does not compromise the quality of life for residents. The City of Charleston was awarded $200,000 for a Brownsfields Pilot Program in September 1998. Brownfields Pilot Program funds can be used for remediation planning, the development of an inventory of sites, site assessment and characterization and community planning.
There have been many accomplishments by the CECBPP throughout their program.  Some accomplishments are:

A. Conducted six environmental assessments that resulted in the creation of 48 jobs and the retention of eight jobs
B. Prepared conceptual remediation plans for two sites in the Enterprise Community area.
C. Expanded partnerships to include the Greater Charleston Empowerment Corporation, Charleston Metro
     Chamber of Commerce, the Alliance, Charleston County, City of Charleston’s Department of Planning and
     Neighborhoods.

GIS has been used to map the Brownfields Focus Area for the CECBP program (Figure 1 and Figure 2).GIS has helped the CECBP program become more effective. They are now able to pinpoint the effects of Brownfields. The CECBP has used GIS to map the areas that are crucially effected by Brownfields.

*(The information in the above section is an excerpt from the brochures administered by the Brownfield Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund and the Charleston Enterprise Community Brownfields Pilot Program).
 
 

The study that I conducted with the Enterprise community was very beneficial to me. I understand now the importance
of the role GIS in brownfields research.  Since the Enterprise community is a low-income, minority community, GIS will serve as a “lawyer” for these residents. GIS is the physical proof that will allow these residents to argue their struggle with Department of Health and Environmental Control. The mapping will allow the residents will serve as tangible evidence when applying for the Brownfield’s cleanup funds and services.  However, I was able to get the attention of Michael Juras through this paper. He allowed me to show him my GIS as additional evidence of the brownfields cleanup problem. He was impressed with the research that I conducted. Michael is now in the process of trying to get my research published and noticed as an FOI.

“Brownfield Redevelopment:. Brownfield Research Institute.

Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund. Charleston, South Carolina.: The Charleston Citywide Local Development Corporation,1999.

Charleston Enterprise Community Brownfields Pilot Program. Charleston, South Carolina.: The City of Charleston Housing and Community Development, 2001.

Juras, Michael (Administrator/Department of Health and Environmental Control). Interviewed. “The use of GIS with the Department of Health and Environmental Control”. July 31st, 2001.

Pianca, Elizabeth (State Policy Analyst/National Trust for Historic Preservation). Interviewed. “The use of GIS with Public Policy”. August 2, 2001..

Seel, Harry Jr (Environmental Program Coordinator/City of Charleston). Interviewed. “The use of GIS and Brownfield Development”. June 20, 26, July10, 2001.

Internet. www.Scorecard.org

Sample Interview Questionnaire

Name:
Occupation:
Community where you reside in:
How long have you been a resident?
What are some ways that the environments have impacted you the most?
What is your biggest fear (environmentally speaking) while living in this community?
What are some efforts that you have made to solve this problem?