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Brownfields 2005
Grant Fact Sheet
Providence, Rl
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
The City of Providence was selected to receive a
brownfields cleanup grant. Providence (population
173,618), the second largest city in New England, sits
at the head of Narragansett Bay at the confluence of
the Woonasquatucket, Moshassuck, and Seekonk
Rivers. It has long been the industrial, commercial,
cultural, and transportation hub of southern New
England. It was once home to some of the nation's
industrial giants. The demise of the textile industry
after World War II, and later the jewelry industry, has
had a devastating effect on Providence. The city lost
thousands of jobs and residents, and is now a federally
designated Enterprise Community. The city-wide per
capita income of $15,525 is significantly lower than that
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Providence for a
brownfields cleanup grant. Funds will be used for
the design and implementation of groundwater
treatment and foundation venting systems at the
former Louttit Laundry site at 93 Cranston Street.
The contamination at the site is the result of
releases that occurred during the use of chlori-
nated solvents in dry cleaning operations for 90
years. Funds also will be used for community
involvement activities.
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 1 Brownfields Team
617-918-1221
http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/
Grant Recipient: City of Providence, RI
401-351-4300
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
of the state, and 24 percent of residents live in poverty.
The target site is the former Louttit Laundry site in the
West Side, a slowly decaying inner-city neighborhood.
More than half the area's residents are Hispanic,
African-American, and Asian, and median family
income is below the city-wide median. Cleanup of the
target site will remove a health risk to the surrounding
population, including children at two adjacent schools
and residents of local housing projects. It is also
expected to serve as a catalyst for economic develop-
ment in the neighborhood.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-05-074
May 2005
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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