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Brownfields 2006
Grant Fact Sheet
Cleveland
Metroparks,
Cuyahoga County,
OH
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 Cleveland Metroparks was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Located in northeastern
Ohio, the Cleveland Metroparks is working to pre-
serve, conserve, and restore natural areas in and
around Cuyahoga County. It owns and manages more
than 20,000 acres of parkland in Cuyahoga County and
in Hinckley Township, Medina County (combined
population 1,358,503). Cuyahoga County, located
along the shores of Lake Erie, serves as the business
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Cleveland Metroparks for a
brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
stances grant funds will be used to perform ten to
20 Phase I and three to five Phase II environmen-
tal site assessments in and around Cuyahoga
County. Grant funds also will be used to conduct
human health and ecological risk assessments,
develop cleanup plans, and implement commu-
nity outreach activities.
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/R5 Brownfields/
Grant Recipient: Cleveland Metroparks, OH
216-635-3245
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
and economic center for northeastern Ohio. Although
the population of the county has been declining over
the past 15 years, Cuyahoga is a densely populated area
that will soon become the first fully built-out county in
the State of Ohio. According to the state, 34 percent of
Cuyahoga residents are minorities, as compared to 15
percent for the state. Thirteen percent of the county's
population lives below the poverty level. A large
number of these residents live in areas that were
formerly booming industrial centers, but are now idled
brownfields. Many of these sites, located along Lake
Erie and the Cuyahoga River, have contributed to the
environmental degradation of the area for over a
century. This degradation has resulted in poor surface
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-06-129
May 2006
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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water and groundwater quality, decreased air quality.
increased erosion, destruction of natural habitats, and
accelerated run-off and flooding. Revitalization of
brownfields in Cleveland Metroparks will improve and
stabilize water and air quality, increase property values,
and provide recreational opportunities for area resi-
dents.
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