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Brownfields 2004
Grant Fact Sheet
Housing Authority of
the City of East St.
Louis, IL
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, the President
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. Additionally, funding
support is provided to state and tribal response pro-
grams through a separate mechanism.
Community Description
The Housing Authority of the City of East St. Louis
was selected to receive a brownfields assessment
grant. The City of East St. Louis (population 31,542) is
a federally designated Empowerment Zone/Enterprise
Community along the Mississippi River. The riverfront
area, covering more than 1,000 acres, was historically
used by manufacturers and other industrial enterprises
who depended on access to the river to receive raw
materials and transport finished products. The railroads
also operated transportation and logistic centers
throughout the riverfront area. Since 1950, the manu-
facturing and industrial operations have contracted, and
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Housing Authority of the
City of East St. Louis for a brownfields assess-
ment grant. Grant funds will be used to conduct
public outreach activities and perform Phase I and
Phase II site assessments on riverfront parcels
along the Mississippi River. These activities will
contribute to the city's master plan to revitalize
the East St. Louis riverfront.
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: Housing Authority of the City of
East St. Louis, IL
618-646-7101
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, the activities
described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
the city has experienced a corresponding economic
decline. Over the past 30 years, the population of East
St. Louis has decreased by more than 50 percent.
More than 35 percent of its residents live in poverty,
and the median income is less than half the state
median. More than 97 percent of the population is
African-American. Cleanup and redevelopment of the
abandoned riverfront area will generate tax revenues
and new job opportunities. Redevelopment also will
enhance the quality of life for city residents by creating,
for the first time in this community, a recreational area
along the Mississippi River.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-04-060
June 2004
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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