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Brownfields 2006
Grant Fact Sheet
Arenac County, Ml
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
Arenac County was selected to receive two brown-
fields assessment grants. Arenac County (population
17,269) is a rural community located in the east central
portion of Michigan's lower peninsula and on the
Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. The county has vast
water resources with three major river systems and
approximately 47 miles of shoreline. Although the
manufacturing sector generates the second highest
revenue for the county, it does not provide enough jobs
to support the community. About 48 percent of the
county's land area is used for agricultural purposes.
The county is dependent on its agricultural, tourism,
and recreational industries for revenue generation. The
per capita income in the county is 26 percent less than
the state per capita. Over the last five years, the
unemployment rate in the county has been signifi-
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected Arenac County for two
brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous
substances grant funds will be used to create an
inventory of sites; perform Phase I, II, and
baseline environmental site assessments; and
conduct community outreach activities through-
out Arenac County. Petroleum grant funds will be
used to perform the same tasks at sites throughout
the county with potential petroleum contamina-
tion.
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 5 Brownfields Team
312-886-7576
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/
Grant Recipient: Arenac County, MI
989-846-4111
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
cantly higher than both the state and national rates.
Many brownfields are located along rural roads and in
the small, developed areas of the county. They include
unregulated dumps, junkyards, machine shops, agricul-
ture-related sites, abandoned gas stations, and small
manufacturing shops. In addition, there are more than
1,000 oil and gas exploration and production wells
around the county that were drilled prior to the promul-
gation of strict environmental regulations. These sites
pose potential threats to the groundwater and natural
resources of the county. Assessment and eventual
cleanup of brownfields properties will help protect the
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-06-105
May 2006
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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health of area residents who rely on groundwater for
drinking, preserve the waterways and natural resources
that help attract tourism to the area, and safeguard the
productive agricultural lands of the region.
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