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Brownfields 2005
Grant Fact Sheet
Woodfin, NC
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, President George
W. Bush 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. Addi-
tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.
Community Description
Town of Woodfin was selected to receive a
brownfields cleanup grant. Woodfin (population 3,218)
is located in the Appalachian Mountains in western
North Carolina near Ashville. Historically, the town has
been a working-class community comprised largely of
industrial and service sector workers. The shift away
from manufacturing in the region has had a dispropor-
tionate impact on the town's residents. The town has a
higher-than-average rate of working poor, a lower-
than-average per capita income, and nearly a 22
percent poverty rate. Within a 156-acre brownfield site
is the target site, a former landfill that contains meth-
ane gas. Once the property is cleaned up, the town has
proposed developing approximately 300 new single and
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Town of Woodfin for a
brownfields cleanup grant. Grant funds will be
used for site planning, remedy monitoring, and the
installation of a passive gas collection system at
the 96-acre Elk Mountain Landfill at 70 Old
Beaverdam Creek Road. Funds also will be used
for community outreach activities and health
monitoring.
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 4 Brownfields Team
404-562-8684
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm
Grant Recipient: Town of Woodfin, NC
828-251-6622
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
multi-family homes on the site. Cleanup will ensure that
methane gas will not migrate from the property into
nearby neighborhoods, and allow the town to leverage
public and private investment. Redevelopment will add
to the town's tax base, increase property values, and
lead to new construction and retail jobs.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-05-050
May 2005
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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