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                           Assessment Pi
                           Borough ofAmbridge, PA
BACKGROUND

EPA has selected the Borough of Ambridge  for a
Brownfields Assessment Pilot. The Borough of Ambridge
and Harmony Township (population 11,132) are located
on the eastern bank of the Ohio River in southwestern
Pennsylvania, about 15 miles from downtown Pittsburgh.
This historically industrial area once was home to seven
major steel mills and numerous supporting industries and
commercial properties. In the late 1970s, the steel mills
began to close. Mill properties were sold, subdivided, and
mothballed, and the number ofjobs in the areaplummeted
from 15,000to 1,508 today. Approximately 20percentof
borough residents live below the poverty level.

While one of the area's two major industrial corridors has
been successfully redeveloped, about 64 percent  of the
industrial land in the Borough ofAmbridge and Harmony
Township lies along the 2.5 mile corridor between State
Route 65 andDuss Avenue, whichruns through the middle
of the two communities. This corridor includes a mix of
active small industrial properties, idle brownfields, and
underused industrial properties. The borough estimates
that approximately 262 acres of the corridor may be
considered brownfields.

OBJECTIVES

The borough's obj ective is to encourage redevelopment of
brownfields in an historic district that has been negatively
impacted by the declining industrial economy. The Pilot
will accomplish this obj ective by prioritizing brownfields
sites for assessment and performing Phase I and  II site
assessments on these sites. The Pilot will also conduct
community outreach using  Pilot funds. The targeted
brownfields are  industrial sites  closest to the historic
district along the State Route 65/Duss Avenue corridor.
   PILOT SNAPSHOT
    Borough ofAmbridge,
    Pennsylvania
Date of Announcement:
May 2002

Amount: $200,000

Profile:  The Pilot targets
brownfields near an historic
district for environmental site
assessment activities that will
encourageredevelopmentofthe
districtandsurrounding industrial
property.
   Contacts:
   Borough of Ambridge
   (727)266-4070
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/bfs/index.htm

      For furtherinformation, including specific Pilot contacts,
    additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
    publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
             www.epa.gov/brownfields
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Prioritizing sites for Phase I and II environmental site
  assessment activities;

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• Conducting Phase II environmental site assessments at
  the highest priority sites;

• Conducting a Phase III environmental site assessment
  on at least one  site; and

• Continuing community outreach activities by sponsoring
  public discussions and informal meetings.

The cooperative agreement forthis Pilot has notyetbeen negotiated; therefore,
activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
                                                                Solid Waste             EPA 500-F-02-039
                                                                and Emergency         May 2002
                                                                Response  (5105)        www.epa.gov/brownfields/

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