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  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact Sheet

  Boulder County,  CO


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

Boulder County was selected to receive a brownfields
cleanup grant. The target area is the Lefthand Creek
Watershed in Boulder County (population 290,588),
which is located in the Front Range of the Rocky
Mountains. The watershed includes Lefthand Creek,
James Creek, and Little James Creek. Precious metal
mining in the watershed began in the mid-1800s and
ceased in the 1990s.  The historical mining and milling
usage of the Lefthand Creek has left behind mine-
scarred lands and a legacy of heavy metal and acid
contamination in surface water and groundwater. This
contamination affects the  local water supply, habitat
areas, and wetlands.  The watershed serves as the
primary drinking water supply for the 18,000 residen-
tial customers of the Lefthand Water District. Cleanup
of the Argo Mine site will help reduce potential
 Cleanup Grant
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected Boulder County for a
 brownfields cleanup grant. Grant funds will be
 used to clean up the 13.7-acre Argo Mine site in
 the Lefthand Watershed in Boulder. The Argo
 Mine was historically mined for Fluorspar, along
 with other hardrock mines in the watershed. The
 mine is loading copper, iron, zinc and magnesium
 into Little James Creek.
 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 8 Brownfields Team
 303-312-6757
 http://www. epa.gov/regionO 8/land_waste/bfhome/
 bfhome.html

 Grant Recipient: Boulder County, CO
 303-678-6276

 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
 yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
 in this fact sheet are subject to change.
exposure to contaminants and prevent further degrada-
tion of Little James Creek. The county intends to use
the site for open space, further preventing any future
contaminants from entering the stream. Cleanup is
expected to remove the contamination stigma, thereby
improving real estate values and the economic growth
potential of the area.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                         EPA560-F-06-162
                         May 2006
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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