Montrose gets $3.327M EPA Brownfields cleanup grant for Bullock Steam Plant—what comes next

Montrose has been selected for an EPA Brownfields Cleanup grant totaling $3,327,850 to address environmental hazards at the former Bullock Electric Steam Plant on the City’s Uncompahgre River corridor. The City says the site is at 30 West South Fourth Street, directly adjacent to the Uncompahgre River and across from the Uncompahgre Riverway Trail.

City officials say the cleanup is aimed at reducing risks tied to the site’s long deterioration and its contamination concerns. The City points to a building that remains heavily contaminated with asbestos and other toxic elements, plus environmental concerns including the potential for contaminated soils and fly ash to run off into the river and affect aquatic habitat and recreational uses like kayaking and paddleboarding. The City also says that, while the site has attracted unsafe activity over the years, groundwater sampling indicated no significant contaminant leaching to shallow groundwater, so groundwater remediation is not required.

What EPA approved—and what “selected” really means

The EPA’s FY 2026 Brownfield selections document lists Montrose, CO — Bullock Electric Steam Plant — Cleanup with approved funding of $3,327,850. The City’s announcement (posted June 29, 2026) uses the same total and describes it as an EPA Brownfields Cleanup grant for the steam plant site.

It’s still worth noting what “selection” means in practice. In its national announcement of Brownfields Cleanup selections, EPA says awards are made once legal and administrative requirements are satisfied by selected applicants—so the next phase is about moving from confirmed funding to the regulated cleanup process, not an instant “problem solved” switch.

Who’s involved and what happens next on the ground

The City says it will work with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to address toxic elements during cleanup activities.

Local reporting also frames the project as entering an active phase: KJCT8 reported that the cleanup was underway as of July 3, 2026, with the EPA funding supporting remediation efforts at the long-dormant site.

For residents, the practical “watch list” is less about fixed timelines (those may come later) and more about public process and site safeguards:

• Public meetings and updates: the City says it will host future public meetings to gather additional community input, and that more details will be shared once available.
• Community feedback after cleanup: KJCT8 reports the City plans to seek community feedback on the site’s future use after cleanup is complete.
• Follow access/safety signage: until cleanup and site controls are finalized, the risk logic from the City’s own hazard description is simple—treat the area as not safe for unsupervised public access.

What the City says the site could become (and what isn’t final yet)

The cleanup grant does not automatically decide redevelopment, but it can be a key enabling step for future reuse. The City says that following environmental cleanup it will retain ownership and redevelop the property for both public and private uses. Specifically, it says the former power plant building will be adaptively reused as a multi-level indoor climbing gym.

The City also describes accompanying improvements that are intended to restore river-area habitat and access—such as flood-resilient green space, public river access for kayaking and fishing, and reconnection of the site to the Riverway Trail and city park system (with sustainable energy features where feasible).

At the same time, KJCT8 reported that future plans for the plant had not been finalized at the time of its July 3 update, while describing the indoor climbing gym concept as one option under consideration. The overlap between those two messages is consistent: the concept is in motion, but the end result will depend on how cleanup and subsequent decisions unfold—along with the community input the City says it will gather.

Why Montrose residents should care

This is a rare, concrete example of federal brownfields cleanup funding translating into a cleanup-and-reuse roadmap for a prominent river-adjacent property. If the work proceeds as planned with state oversight, residents should expect reduced environmental and safety risks—and, later, a potential expansion of usable riverfront and year-round recreation space.

Sources

• City of Montrose News Flash (posted June 29, 2026): “City to Receive $3.3 Million to Clean Up Former Power Plant”
• EPA PDF: FY 2026 Brownfield Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant Selections (June 2026)
• KJCT8 (July 3, 2026): “Montrose Bullock Steam Electric Plant cleanup underway with $3.3M EPA grant”