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  Brownfields 2007

  Grant  Fact Sheet

    Aiken  County,  SC


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

Aiken County was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant and a brownfields cleanup grant.
Located in western South Carolina on the Savannah
River, Aiken County (population 148,084) was the site
of the South's first cotton manufacturing plant. Be-
tween the construction of that plant in 1846 and the
early 1990s, numerous textile plants and industries
located in the Horse  Creek Valley region. Today, most
of these mills have closed their doors, leaving behind
large brownfields and few jobs. The median household
income in some of the county's villages is two-thirds
the state median. The county is targeting two sites in
Clearwater. In the area where the sites are located,
19.2 percent of residents live below the poverty level.
About 20 percent of Clearwater's 4,199 residents are
minorities. Assessment and cleanup of the old textile
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected Aiken County for a brownfields
assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant
funds will be used to conduct community out-
reach activities and perform Phase I and II
environmental site assessments at the abandoned
65-acre Clearwater Finishing site.
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances'

EPA has selected Aiken County for a brownfields
cleanup grant. Grant funds will be used to clean
up the 26-acre Seminole Mills site at the intersec-
tion of Belvedere Road and Augusta Road in
Clearwater. The site operated as a spun rayon
fabrics plant for most of the 20th Century, and is
contaminated with metals and polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons. Funds also will be used
to develop a cleanup plan and conduct commu-
nity outreach 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/index.htm

Grant Recipient: Aiken County, SC
803-642-2012

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.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-07-205
                        May 2007
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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plants will help restore community pride and stimulate
economic growth. The county plans to reuse the sites
for senior housing, commercial and office space, and
greenspace.

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