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  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

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