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Brownfields 2006
Grant Fact Sheet
Catawba Regional
Council of
Governments, Rock
Hill, SC
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
The Catawba Regional Council of Governments was
selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The
Council serves a four-county region (total population
289,914) of north-central South Carolina. The target
area for assessment is the Old Town area of the City of
Rock Hill (population 20,748) in York County. The Old
Town core was once a thriving textile community. With
the decline of the textile industry, the Old Town area
lost its main source of economic stability and social
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Catawba Regional Council
of Governments for a brownfields assessment
grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be
used to inventory and prioritize brownfields sites,
conduct community outreach activities, perform
Phase I and II environmental site assessments,
and develop reuse plans for sites in the urban
core of the City of Rock Hill.
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
404-562-8866
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm
Grant Recipient: Catawba Regional Council of
Governments, SC
803-327-9041
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
vitality. The area was left with abandoned brownfields,
remnants of the textile industry, service stations,
drycleaners, and stores selling fertilizer and pesticides.
Although the Rock Hill population grew by almost 20
percent from 1999 to 2001, Old Town's population
decreased nearly nine percent. Approximately 60 percent
of the area's residents are considered low-income, and
19 percent live in poverty. Nearly 60 percent of Old
Town residents are minorities. Assessment of the area's
brownfields sites will begin a process that will attract
investments for mixed-use development projects,
including residential, retail, and office space, creating
new employment opportunities and restoring economic
stability and social vitality to the City of Rock Hill.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-06-085
May 2006
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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