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Brownfields 2007
Grant Fact Sheet
Idaho Department of
Parks and Recreation,
Ouster County, 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 Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation was
selected to receive two brownfields cleanup grants.
Idaho (population 1,466,465) will clean up two sites in
Custer County (population 4,114), a rural mountainous
region where the economy relies on ranching, mining,
and tourism. The federal government owns 93 percent
of the county, including federal wilderness, national
forest, and national recreation areas. The county's
brownfields are primarily abandoned mining lands,
many of which have uncontrolled public access. They
present a health risk to area residents and visitors and
an environmental risk to surface water and aquatic life.
Cleanup Grants
$339,840 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Idaho Department of Parks
and Recreation for two brownfields cleanup
grants. Grant funds will be used to clean up the
Beardsley-Excelsior Mine and Pacific Mine sites
in the Historic Bayhorse Mining District of
Custer County. These sites are former ore mines
that are contaminated with heavy metals as a
result of mining technologies used in the late
1800s and early 1900s. 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 10 Brownfields Team
206-553-7299
http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/sites/bf
Grant Recipient: Idaho Department of Parks and
Recreation
208-514-2256
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.
While the state population grew by 10.4 percent from
2000 to 2005, the county lost 6.1 percent of its popula-
tion. The median household income in the county is
significantly lower than the state median. When the
two target sites are cleaned up, they will become part
of a planned state park that will include exhibits on the
region's mining history, culture, and environment. This
redevelopment will increase tourism and the demand
for tourist-based facilities and create jobs.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-07-079
May 2007
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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