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Brownfields 2008
Grant Fact Sheet
Downtown
Development Authority
of Social Circle, GA
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 this 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. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through
a separate mechanism.
Community Description
The Downtown Development Authority of Social
Circle was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup
grant. Located in the Historic Heartlands district of
Georgia in rural Walton County, Social Circle (popula-
tion 4,354) was incorporated in 1832. For many years,
the city's employment and economic stability depended
upon the Social Circle Cotton Mill, which operated
from 1901 to 1982. Today, the city lags behind the rest
of the county and state in income, and a significantly
higher percentage of city children live below the
poverty level. Nearly 43 percent of Social Circle
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Downtown Development
Authority of Social Circle for a brownfields
cleanup grant. Hazardous substances grant funds
will be used to clean up the four-acre former Social
Circle Cotton Mill site located near the intersection
of Canon Road and South Cherokee Street. Site
soil is contaminated with heavy metals, PCBs, and
polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Grant funds
also will be used to support health monitoring and
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 4 Brownfields Team
404-562-8792
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf
Grant Recipient: Downtown Development
Authority of Social Circle, GA
770-464-2380
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.
residents are minorities. Many of the city's minorities
live in the former mill village area near the scattered
debris and remnants of the old mill. The site poses a
health threat to community residents and hinders
redevelopment. Cleanup of the mill is expected to
reduce health risks associated with the site and in-
crease the site's marketability to prospective
purchasers and developers.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-08-071
April 2008
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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