United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA500-F-99-128
June 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Anderson, SC
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
bybrownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssitesandpreparetraineesforfutureemploymentintheenvironmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states,
tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods
to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the City of Anderson for a
Brownfields Pilot. Like many cities in the South,
Anderson (population 28,400) was built upon the
cotton industry. "The Electric City" was also the first
southern city to have an unlimited power supply and
have electricity transmitted to it over long-distance
lines. Although Anderson has reversed its post-
cotton economic decline—the unemployment rate is
just 4 percent—it has been left with the legacy of the
abandoned and contaminated textile mills that once
made it prosper.
The Pilot targets two brownfields sites in Anderson:
a 13-acre abandoned textile mill and a 7-acre railroad
site. The Anderson Mill was one of the city's main
employers for years and specialized in buffing cloth.
The mill changed hands several times until it was
eventually ravaged by fire in 1995. The site now sits
abandoned and deteriorating. The railroad site has a
track bisecting the property, with a vacant parcel on
the south side and office space on the north. Both of
the sites contain known and suspected contamination:
the former mill is contaminated by heavy metals,
chemicals, and leaky drums, and the railroad property
PILOTSNAPSHOT
Dateof Announcement:
June 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
a 13-acre former textile mill
and a 7-acre railroad site
near the downtown area.
Anderson, South Carolina
Contacts:
Division of Community Planning
and Development
(864)231-2230
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 4
(404) 562-8661
Visit the EPA Region 4 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region4/wastepgs/brownfpgs/bf.htm
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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is potentially contaminated from its use as a railyard
and a lumber mill that operated on the site for many
years.
OBJECTIVES
In 1995, the City of Anderson began formulating a
master plan to revitalize its downtown historic district
in response to community requests for improvement.
Citizen-advisory and steering committees, local
businesses, banks, and local residents worked together
with the Chamber of Commerce and other city
organizations to create a master plan for the
community. Since then, significant work has been
done to revamp the downtown area, including
refurbishing the historic courthouse, renewing building
facades, repairing fountains, and installing greenspaces.
This work has boosted civic pride and attracted new
business to the area. The two brownfields targeted by
the Pilot have been identified as presenting barriers to
the successful revitalization of the downtown area.
After the Pilot assesses the two properties, the city
plans to clean up and redevelop the properties so that
the environmental hazards are eliminated and new
commercial, transportation, and public facilities can
be created. Reuse of the textile mill will provide a
new National Guard Armory, a facility to hold events,
and a small industrial park. The railroad property is
slated to contain anewtransportation center, including
a police substation. The sites are both located near
the downtown area and require no re-zoning.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting Phase I assessments, and Phase II
assessments if necessary, at the two targeted sites;
• Preparing cost analyses and cleanup plans for the
sites;
• Preparing a proj ect summary report for the city and
residents; and
• Conducting community outreach activities, such as
holding neighborhood meetings and creating
informational materials.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Anderson, South Carolina
June 1999 EPA500-F-99-128
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