Ottawa receives $1.2 million grant for former Beer Depot site cleanup

US Rep. Underwood announced funding for cleanup at former Beer Depot site

(File photo) 14th District Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville) announced a $1.2 million grant to Ottawa for cleaning up the Beer Depot site. Here she addresses a crowd at the final Ottawa Radium Dial superfund site in April 2023. (Michael Urbanec)

July 07, 2025 at 12:46 pm CDT

Ottawa can expect more than a million dollars in a new round of federal funding for environmental cleanup, according to a news release from U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville.

The City of Ottawa will receive $1,243,270 to clean up the former Beer Depot site at 429 W. Lafayette Street, according to the release.

The site was previously used for oil and coal distribution from 1891 until the 1970s. The site has been vacant since the 1970s and contaminated with semi-volatile organic compounds, metals and pesticides, according to the release.

The funds are part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Cleanup Grant Program, according to the news release.

The cleanup will support community revitalization and economic redevelopment, according to the release.

Underwood helped secure this funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and her work on the Appropriations Committee, according to the release.