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  Brownfields  2007

  Grant  Fact Sheet

      Macatawa Area

 Coordinating Council,

    Western Michigan


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 Macatawa Area Coordinating Council (MACC)
was selected to receive two brownfields assessment
grants. The MACC represents 13 communities (total
population 119,365) near Lake Michigan, on the west
Michigan shoreline. The area's economy is based on
industry, tourism, and agriculture. Many of the indus-
trial operations have closed, leaving behind empty,
obsolete, and potentially contaminated buildings and
properties. There are 123 contaminated sites and 575
leaking underground storage tanks in Allegan and
Ottawa Counties, two of the MACC's 13 communities.
 Assessment Grants
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected the Macatawa Area Coordinat-
 ing Council for two brownfields assessment
 grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be
 used to inventory approximately 40 high-priority
 properties and perform Phase I, Phase II, and
 baseline environmental site assessments. Funds
 also will be used to support community outreach
 activities.  Petroleum grant funds will be used to
 perform the same tasks at sites with potential
 petroleum contamination.
 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: Macatawa Area Coordinating
 Council, MI
 616-395-2688

 The information presented in this fact sheet comes
 from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
 accuracy of this information. The cooperative
 agreement for the grant has not yet been negoti-
 ated. Therefore, activities described in this fact
 sheet are subject to change.
The need for migrant labor over the years has attracted
a large Hispanic population to the region. The per
capita income in the communities with large minority
populations is just over one-half of the state level.
Assessment of brownfields will help the MACC
address the health risks associated with the potential
contamination of the area's lakes, creeks, rivers, and
                                               Solid Waste and
                                               Emergency Response
                                               (5105T)
                       EPA560-F-07-100
                       May 2007
                       www.epa.gov/brownfields

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wetlands. Assessment also will increase the likelihood
of development of the inner cities, helping to preserve
agricultural land and greenspace.

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