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  Brownfields  2007

  Grant  Fact Sheet

      Washington,  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 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 Washington was selected to receive  a
brownfields assessment grant. Located in Wilkes
County, Washington (population 4,295) had relied on a
manufacturing base established in the 1970s. During
the 2001 recession, the city lost one-third of its manu-
facturing jobs as a result of two large plant closures.
Washington is considered a tourism area because of its
large number of historic resources. It is in the process
of being named a Regional Welcome Center by the
state. However, many of the city's brownfields are
located adjacent to or along the route to many of these
historic places. Impressions are critical to the tourism
industry, and the presence of brownfields could keep
tourists from visiting the city. Washington's population
is 60.7 percent African-American, and 23 percent of
the city's population lives below the poverty level.
 Assessment Grant
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected the City of Washington for a
 brownfields assessment grant. Petroleum grant
 funds will be used to inventory and prioritize
 sites, conduct Phase I and II environmental site
 assessments in Washington's downtown area, and
 implement a health monitoring program. Commu-
 nity outreach also will be conducted.
 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/index.htm

 Grant Recipient: City of Washington, GA
 706-678-3277

 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.
Assessment of brownfields will serve as a catalyst for
an overall revitalization effort in the city. Redevelop-
ment in the downtown area will create new business
opportunities, public spaces, and housing consistent
with smart growth principles.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                        EPA560-F-07-188
                        May 2007
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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