United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA500-F-99-121
June 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Borough of Central City, PA
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
by brownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssites and preparetrainees for future employmentintheenvironmental
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 Borough of Central City for a
Brownfields Pilot. Central City and Shade Township
(combined population 4,423) are located within the
Dark Shade sub-basin that follows Dark Shade Creek,
a nine-mile tributary of Shade Creek that empties into
Stoneycreek River. Dark Shade valley is located
within Pennsylvania's Appalachian coal mining region
where, like many rural communities, large coal mining
operations shut down after World War II, leaving the
area with abandoned mines that devastated the local
economies and the environment. As a result of the
effects of acid mine drainage and abandoned strip
mines and mining buildings, potentially contaminated
properties lie vacant and the Dark Shade Creek
watershed is unable to sustain aquatic life. Further,
more than 70 percent of the Central City families with
children live below the poverty level.
OBJECTIVES
Central City's objective is to further the area's
economic growth and provide areas for recreational
activities by transforming the Dark Shade valley
brownfields into usable land for commercial businesses,
recreational trails, and acid mine drainage treatment
systems that can double as community parks. The
PILOTSNAPSHOT
Borough of Central City,
Pennsylvania
Contacts:
Borough of Central City
Dark Shade Creek
Coordinating Committee
(814) 539-5357
Dateof Announcement:
June 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: ThePilottargetsthe
Dark Shade Creek valleys
former coal mining operations
for assessment to help
revitalize the economy of local
communities and to clean up
the watershed.
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 3
(215)814-3129
Visit the EPA Region 3 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/brownfld/hmpage1.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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Dark Shade Coordinating Committee (DSCC), which
will oversee Pilot activities, is working to ward regional
economic development by promoting the assessment,
cleanup, and redevelopment of Dark Shade valley
brownfields. The DSCC is currently developing a
Dark Shade comprehensive watershed plan to guide
these efforts. The city will use the Pilot to help create
the environmental and infrastructure capacity to spur
economic growth in the region.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Creating an inventory of Dark Shade valley
brownfields and incorporating this information into
the Kiski-Conemaugh River Basin Alliance's
geographic information system (GIS) database;
• Completing environmental assessments at priority
sites;
• Designing cleanup and redevelopment plans for
assessed brownfields; and
• Conducting public education forums and workshops
and gathering community stakeholder input regarding
brownfields prioritization and site-specific
assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment activities.
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 Borough of Central City, Pennsylvania
June 1999 EPA500-F-99-121
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