5
o
T>
Brownfields 2008
Grant Fact Sheet
Sarpy County, NE
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
Sarpy County was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. Located in eastern Nebraska, Sarpy
County (population 141,376) was explored by Lewis
and Clark and settled by fur traders, farmers, and
entrepreneurs. Sarpy is a rapidly growing county with a
population that has increased by 15 percent over five
years. The target site, PCS Nitrogen Fertilizer, has
been vacant since 1999. Its closing resulted in the loss
of jobs and tax revenues for the county. The site is
situated at the confluence of the Platte and Missouri
Rivers, both of which provide wildlife habitat, as well
as drinking water and recreational opportunities for
residents of Nebraska and Iowa. Potential contamina-
tion from this 954-acre site poses threats to human
health and the ecology of the area. The stigma associ-
ated with the site is one of the main obstacles to
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected Sarpy County for a brownfields
assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant
funds will be used to conduct a Phase II environ-
mental site assessment at the 954-acre PCS
Nitrogen Fertilizer site at 202 Allied Road in La
Platte. The currently vacant site was used to
manufacture fertilizer for more than 40 years.
Grant funds also will be used to support community
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 7 Brownfields Team
800-223-0425
http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/brownfields
Grant Recipient: Sarpy County, NE
402-593-2347
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.
redevelopment. Assessment is expected to facilitate
site cleanup and make the site more attractive for
redevelopment. The county plans to retain two-thirds
of the property for wetlands and prairie grass restora-
tion and redevelop the balance for industrial use.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-08-176
April 2008
www.epa.gov/brownfields
------- |