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Brownfields 2005
Grant Fact Sheet
Washtenaw County, Ml
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, 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
Washtenaw County was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Washtenaw County
(population 322,895) is located in southeast Michigan, 30
miles west of Detroit. Historically, the county has been
characterized as an agricultural community. Over the
past ten years, agricultural operations have decreased
dramatically due to economic conditions and develop-
ment pressures brought on by a steady growth in
population. As a result, rural areas of the county have
experienced rapid urbanization. Between 1990 and 2000,
the county lost 1.4 percent of its total farmland per year.
At this rate, the county will lose more than 50,000 acres
of farmland by the year 2020, when Washtenaw
anticipates a 27 percent increase in population. Assess-
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected Washtenaw County for a
brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be
used to conduct community outreach; complete an
estimated ten to 15 Phase I, eight to ten Phase II,
and three to five baseline environmental site
assessments; and draft three to five brownfields
redevelopment plans. These funds also will help
the county initiate mapping of the brownfields
sites and their proximity to schools, parks, well-
heads, and other areas, as tools to assist
prioritization of site assessment, cleanup, and
redevelopment.
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: Washtenaw County, MI
734-222-6809
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
ment and cleanup of the brownfields properties will
provide the county with new opportunities for residential
and commercial development within existing urban
boundaries, thereby reducing urban sprawl and preserv-
ing natural resources, open spaces, and agricultural
lands. The county anticipates this project will build on the
success of Washtenaw's previous pilot grant, and
contribute to the creation of over 100 new permanent
jobs and approximately 30 temporary jobs in the area.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-05-101
May 2005
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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