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Brownfields 2007
Grant Fact Sheet
Swinomish Tribal
Community, WA
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 Swinomish Tribal Community has been selected
to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Located on
a peninsula at the southeast side of Fidalgo Island in
Skagit County, the Swinomish Reservation has a total
reservation population of 4,800, of whom 800 are
enrolled tribal members. The reservation includes 420
acres of freshwater wetlands, and many more acres of
estuarine wetlands. The Swinomish Tribe has a 16
percent unemployment rate. More than 200 tribal
fishermen are involved in harvesting salmon and
crabs. Because shellfish and fish consumption in the
community is much higher than that of the general
population, the reservation's tribal members are at a
Assessment Grant
$99,310 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Swinomish Tribal Commu-
nity for a brownfields assessment grant. Hazard-
ous substances grant funds will be used to
inventory and prioritize eight to 12 sites, assess a
minimum of three sites throughout the Swinomish
Reservation, and conduct community outreach.
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: Swinomish Tribal Community,
WA
360-466-7299
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.
greater risk of toxic exposure from fish contamination.
Contaminated sites also pose a health risk to the 30 to
40 percent of the population that draws drinking water
from groundwater wells. Brownfields on the reserva-
tion include at least eight open dump sites as well as
former industrial sites. Brownfields assessment will
remove barriers to the cleanup and redevelopment of
brownfields on the reservation, which will reduce
contamination of reservation waters.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-07-170
May 2007
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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