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Brownfields 2006
Grant Fact Sheet
DetroitAA/ayne
County Port Authority,
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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 Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority was se-
lected to receive two brownfields assessment grants.
Wayne County is a 614-square-mile largely urban
landscape that includes the City of Detroit (population
1,000,000). The city has several federally designated
Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities and is a
Renewal Community. Eighty-eight percent of Detroit
residents are minorities, and 26 percent live in poverty.
The per capita income is 33 percent lower than the
state per capita. It is estimated that between 1990 and
2020, Detroit will have lost 18.3 percent of its popula-
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the Detroit/Wayne County Port
Authority for two brownfields assessment grants.
Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
select and inventory sites, perform Phase I and II
environmental site assessments and baseline
assessments, develop cleanup plans, and conduct
community outreach activities at sites along the
Detroit River, Rouge River, and in Southwest
Detroit. Petroleum grant funds will be used to
perform the same tasks at sites in the same areas
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: Detroit/Wayne County Port
Authority, MI
313-331-3842
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
tion. There are thousands of abandoned and vacant
properties in Detroit, many within the targeted areas
along the Detroit and Rouge Rivers and in Southwest
Detroit. Southwest Detroit was once home to four auto
factories, including the world's largest industrial
complex, the Ford Rouge plant. The community's
strategic location, bisected by rail lines, freeways, and
the Rouge River, and near an international border
crossing and port facilities, makes it ideal for industry
and commerce. These conditions also make it vulner-
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-06-109
May 2006
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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able to many environmental and health hazards. The
target population of more than 80,000 is impacted by
poor air quality, contamination from brownfields sites,
illegal dumping, and abandoned housing. Assessment
and eventual cleanup of the area's brownfields proper-
ties will help reduce health risks, enable the communi-
ties to remove dangerous structures, and stop or
stabilize contamination in or near waterways. Redevel-
opment along the riverfronts is expected to serve as a
catalyst for revitalization of the broader community,
with the potential of providing jobs, goods, and ser-
vices to the region.
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