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  Brownfields  2007

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

          Caldwell,  ID


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 City of Caldwell was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Caldwell (population
41,000) was once the economic hub of southwestern
Idaho's Western Treasure Valley region. During the
last half of the 20th Century, the downtown area lost
much of its economic vitality, due in part to the migra-
tion of businesses to nearby Boise's regional shopping
areas and business districts. The City of Caldwell and
outlying areas have the largest percentage of Hispanic
residents in Idaho, currently estimated to be over 30
percent. Numerous vacant and underused properties,
including 70 substandard structures and 30 vacant
buildings, line the streets of the city's central downtown
core, contributing to the area's blight and disinvestment.
Groundwater chemical data collected under an EPA
petroleum assessment grant revealed the presence of
 Assessment Grant
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected the City of Caldwell for a
 brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
 stances grant funds will be used to conduct Phase
 I and II environmental site assessments to
 determine the lateral and vertical extent of
 contamination in soil and groundwater beneath the
 city center. Grant funds also will be used to
 conduct community outreach 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 10 Brownfields Team
 206-553-7299
 http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/sites/
 bf

 Grant Recipient: City of Caldwell, ID
 208-455-4736

 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.
chlorinated solvents across a broad area of the city's
Indian Creek revitalization area. Once the extent of
this contamination is fully assessed, the city can move
forward with plans to redevelop this area into a multi-
use commercial, cultural, and recreational corridor that
will create jobs and spur additional investment in the
city's downtown core.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA 560-F-07-024
                         May 2007
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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