Remediation and reuse of industrial land: The process of preparing a Brownfield site as a production facility for Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

摘要

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) partnered with the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County to acquire 2,500 hectares of formerly used industrial land to re-use as an industrial,recreational,and educational complex,known as Enterprise South Industrial Park (ESIP).ESIP is located in Chattanooga,Hamilton County,Tennessee,United States of America.Beginning in 1941,the U.S. Army intermittently produced 3 billion tons of the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT) at the site.When not in TNT production,site facilities also produced acids and fertilizers for industrial and agricultural uses.TNT production ceased in 1977,and other production ceased in 1988.In 1992,the Army dismantled the facility and declared the property surplus in 1997.The City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County created ESIP as a joint venture with a vision to develop and establish a world-class business park for multiple uses.TDEC and the local governments formed a team with the federal government stakeholders to pursue a predetermined reuse of the land.Each team agency provided employees dedicated to the long-term goals of the project.These two factors (1. A predetermined reuse scenario,and 2. Long-term dedicated individual team members) proved critical for the successful transfer of the property and redevelopment into multiple uses.In 2008,Volkswagen AG considered sites to open a production facility in the U.S. ESIP provided excellent infrastructure featuring multi-modal transportation,access to markets,industrial utilities,a skilled work force,and strong community support.Upon completing a thorough investigation of the site,Volkswagen selected ESIP to build a 570 hectare production facility.The result of the efforts and cooperation between the Chattanooga community,the various government agencies,and Volkswagen is a world-class industrial,recreational,and educational complex,built to sustainable environmental standards,which produces a valuable commodity and provides work for thousands of employees.