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  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact Sheet

  Monongalia  County,

                   WV


EPA Brownfields  Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders 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

Monongalia County was selected to receive a brown-
fields assessment grant. Located in north-central West
Virginia, Monongalia County (population 83,918)
grew around the coal mining, processing, and transport
industries. The mining industry left disturbed land and
toxic-refuse coal, created hazardous facilities, filled
stream corridors and floodplains with tracks and
railyards, and poisoned creeks. The Deckers Creek
corridor contains such mine-scarred lands. Nearly 23
percent of the population in Monongalia County lives
below the poverty level, and the median household
income in the county is $28,625, which is $13,000 less
than the national level. Monongalia County is one of
the state's top two acid-mine drainage producing
 Assessment Grant
 $198,046 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected Monongalia County for a
 brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
 stances grant funds will be used to assess mine-
 scarred lands in the Deckers Creek corridor.
 Specifically, grant funds will be used to perform
 eight water quality assessments, at least seven
 Phase I environmental site assessments, and one
 Phase II environmental site assessment.
 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 3 Brownfields Team
 215-814-3129
 http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm

 Grant Recipient: Monongalia County, WV
 304-292-3970

 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
 yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
 in this fact sheet are subject to change.
counties. Eventual cleanup of abandoned mines will
allow potential development of Deckers Creek as a
recreational fishery to increase tourism and promote
greenspace development. Brownfields redevelopment
will create recreational space in the community, attract
tourism, increase property values, and boost local tax
revenues.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                         EPA 560-F-06-064
                         May 2006
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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