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  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

         Norwalk,   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 City of Norwalk was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Norwalk (population
16,238), located in north central Ohio, is the county
seat of Huron County. Originally settled in 1809,
Norwalk has been known as a manufacturing town
since the arrival of the railroad in 1853. By the late
1800s, rail yards, foundries, and furniture manufactur-
ers formed the backbone of the local economy, giving
way to the trucking and automobile industries in the
1900s. With a few exceptions, many of these opera-
tions no longer exist. Dozens of acres of land that were
once rail yards or abandoned railroad lines intersect
the city's residential and commercial neighborhoods.
Abandoned gas stations, bulk storage facilities, former
truck terminals and other potentially hazardous sites
are situated throughout the city. They reflect the
 Assessment  Grant
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected the City of Norwalk for a
 brownfields assessment grant. Petroleum grant
 funds will be used to conduct community out-
 reach activities, perform six to eight Phase I and
 three to five Phase II environmental site assess-
 ments.
 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: City of Norwalk, OH
 419-668-9858

 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
 yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
 in this fact sheet are subject to change.
economic distress in Norwalk. The city's performance
on key economic indicators, such as the unemployment
rate, poverty level, and average household income, is
below the state averages. Since 2002 alone, Norwalk
has lost more than 1,300 jobs in the manufacturing
sector. Statistics from the Ohio Department of Health
indicate that Norwalk has a higher incidence of both
pediatric and adult asthma than the state. Assessment of
the brownfields properties will help the city better
address the health and safety concerns of the commu-
nity. Eventual cleanup and redevelopment of these sites
will leverage new jobs; result in recreational, commer-
cial, and residential reuse; and expand the local tax
base.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA560-F-06-135
                         May 2006
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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