Brownfields  2005
  Grant  Fact Sheet
      Lake County,  Ml
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

Lake County was  selected to receive two brownfields
assessment grants. The county, with a population of
11,623, is a federally designated Enterprise Community.
Its population is 11.2 percent African-American, and
the median household and per capita incomes are
lower than the state and national averages. In addition,
19.4 percent of Lake County residents live below the
poverty level. The county's numerous brownfields
include hundreds of small, unregulated, illegal dumps;
ten leaking underground storage tanks; several dozen
oil- and gas-producing wells; and 29 active and 52
closed underground storage tanks. There also are
several sources of contamination from commercial and
industrial operations, some of which have the potential
  Assessment Grants  \2oos;|
  $200,000 for hazardous substances
  $200,000 for petroleum
  EPA has selected Lake County for two
  brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous
  substances and petroleum grant funds will be used
  to inventory approximately 50 brownfield sites,
  conduct Phase I and II site assessments, and
  implement community outreach activities in
  communities throughout the county.
   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 5 Brownfields Team
  312-886-7576
  http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

  Grant Recipient: Lake County, MI
  231-745-2722

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
to contaminate groundwater, the county's only source
of drinking water. Brownfields redevelopment will
revitalize the economic base of the county, and abate
many health and environmental threats to the commu-
nity. It also will reduce the exposure to contaminants of
residents, and pollution of rivers and trout streams that
flow into Lake Michigan.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                        EPA560-F-05-187
                        May 2005
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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