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Brownfields 2006
Grant Fact Sheet
Marion, IA
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 Marion was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants and a brownfields
cleanup grant. Nearly 120 years ago, Marion (popula-
tion 26,294), a small east-central Iowa community,
was home to a bustling railroad industry that brought
with it jobs and economic prosperity. The Central
Corridor of Marion became a focus for industry. By
the late 1990s, the railroad was no more than a spur.
Industry moved closer to highway corridors, leaving
behind a legacy of contamination that threatens the
city's water supply, adversely affects the value of
surrounding neighborhoods, and separates the core
community from eastward residential growth. Today,
281 potential brownfields are located within the target
area, and approximately 70 underground storage tanks
are located within one mile of the Corridor. Residents
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Marion for two
brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous
substances grant funds will be used to conduct
community outreach, monitor the health of target
area residents, perform Phase I and II environ-
mental site assessments, and develop quality
assurance plans and cleanup alternatives for sites
in the Central Corridor project area. Petroleum
funds will be used to perform the same tasks at
sites with potential petroleum contamination.
Cleanup Grant
,2006
$200,000 for hazardous substances'
EPA has selected the City of Marion for a
brownfields cleanup grant. Grant funds will be
used to clean up approximately 20 acres of the
former Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad
property. The property is contaminated with
heavy metals and polynuclear aromatic hydrocar-
bons as a result of its operational use as a railroad
alignment, switch yard, and roundhouse mainte-
nance facility dating back to the 1880s. Portions
of the site are adjacent to the city's drinking
water wells, threatening Marion's water supply.
Brownfields grant funds also will be used to
enroll in the Iowa Land Recycling Program,
prepare technical cleanup and quality assurance
documents, and conduct public dialogue about
redevelopment 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.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-06-155
May 2006
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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of the target area constitute approximately 40 percent
of the city's population. They tend to be low-income
and elderly. The poverty rate in the area is 17.4 percent.
nearly four times the city's average rate. The city plans
to remove the rail line at the cleanup site, and replace it
with a trail and landscaped erosion control buffer to
prevent runoff to adjacent streams and rivers, thereby
reducing the risks to human and aquatic life in the area.
The trail and buffer zone are expected to complement
the new City Hall, which is within the target area, and
provide a transition zone between the residential and
commercial neighborhoods.
EPA Region 7 Brownfields Team
800-223-0425
http://www.epa.gov/Region7/citizens/brownfields/
index.htm
Grant Recipient: City of Marion, IA
319-377-1581
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet
been negotiated; therefore, activities described in
this fact sheet are subject to change.
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