City of Kelso Seeking Input For EPA Brownfield Cleanup Grant—Classic Hits 100.7 KLOG News

The City of Kelso, in partnership with Love Overwhelming, plans to apply for a 2026 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Cleanup Grant to remediate the former Koppe Metals salvage yard at 1610 South River Road.

The grant could provide up to $4 million to fully fund environmental cleanup at the site. Under the preferred cleanup plan, crews would excavate and remove about 140 truckloads of highly contaminated soil and replace it with about 740 truckloads of clean soil brought in from offsite. Cleanup work would take about a year and is expected to begin late next year or early in 2027.

In the release, city officials said the grant would cover cleanup only and does not include funding for redevelopment of the property.

The city is looking for public input at the January 6th, 6 p.m. Kelso City Council meeting at City Hall. Public comments may also be submitted by email to engineering@kelso.gov.

More information, including the cleanup alternatives analysis and the proposed grant application, can be found on the city’s website.