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  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact Sheet

 San  Juan  County,  CO


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

San Juan County was selected to receive a brownfields
cleanup grant. Located in southwestern Colorado, San
Juan County (population 576) is the least-populated
county in the state, and 95 percent of its population
lives in the Town of Silverton, the county's sole
municipality. From 1876 to 1991, mining activities
fueled the economy of Silverton and the county. When
the Sunnyside Mine closed in 1991, nearly 400 jobs
were lost. The houses of former miners who left the
community were sold as vacation, seasonal, and
second homes, resulting in a lack of affordable hous-
ing in the county. In addition, as families moved out of
the area, the work force decreased, forcing the county
to import employees to support its tourism industry.
Almost 21 percent of county residents live below the
poverty level, and the unemployment rate is 14
 Cleanup Grant
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected San Juan County for a
 brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances
 grant funds will be used to conduct cleanup
 activities and planning at the Walsh-Martha Rose
 Smelter site near Silverton, which is contami-
 nated by arsenic and barium. Grant funds also
 will be used to perform community involvement
 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 8 Brownfields Team
 303-312-6757
 http://www. epa.gov/regionO 8/land_waste/bfhome/
 bfhome.html

 Grant Recipient: San Juan County, CO
 970-387-5766

 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
 yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
 in this fact sheet are subject to change.
percent. Nearly 60 percent of renters live in housing
that is not affordable based on income levels, and more
than half of the county's rental units were constructed
before 1939. After the Walsh-Martha Rose Smelter site
is cleaned up, it will be redeveloped to include much-
needed affordable housing, which is expected to help
San Juan County transition from a mining- to tourism-
based economy. Brownfields redevelopment will
reduce threats to human health and the environment
and encourage tourism in the region.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                         EPA560-F-06-164
                         May 2006
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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