HI C3 Brownfields 2004 Grant Fact Sheet Anahola Homesteaders Council, HI EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu- nities, and other stakeholders in economic development to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, the President signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response pro- grams through a separate mechanism. Community Description The Anahola Homesteaders Council was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. Located about 22 miles from Kauai's main city of Lihue, 72.5 percent of Anahola's 2,000 residents are Native Hawaiian. In contrast, 24.2 percent of the entire Island population of 58,463 is Native Hawaiian. Approximately 10 percent of area residents are unemployed, and public assis- tance rates are over 20 percent. Twenty years ago, the town of Anahola was surrounded by sugar cane fields that provided employment for local residents and supported the local economy. The disappearance of sugar cane plantations left idle fields polluted with pesticides and herbicides, and the community that had worked those fields without the economic means to Cleanup Grant $196,334 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the Anahola Homesteaders Council for a brownfields cleanup grant. The grant will be used to clean up a 20-acre property that is contaminated with pesticides and herbi- cides containing high concentrations of arsenic and mercuric compounds. Like much of the agricultural land in Kauai County, the site was formerly used for sugar cane production. The grant will help pay for surface debris removal, soil excavation and replacement, and sampling. Once the site is cleaned up, the council hopes to rede- velop it into a multi-use town center, complete with a charter school and affordable housing for elderly residents. Contacts For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/ brownfields. EPA Region 9 Brownfields Team 415-972-3188 http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/brown/ Grant Recipient: Anahola Homesteaders Council, HI 808-822-7045 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. clean up the contamination. This cleanup grant will help transform a blighted area into a multi-use town center that will provide Anahola with greater com- mercial opportunity and a place to enhance cultural awareness and education. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-04-021 June 2004 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |