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  Brownfields  2008

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

          Waterloo,  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 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

The City of Waterloo was selected to receive a
brownfields cleanup grant. Once known as the "Fac-
tory City of Iowa," Waterloo (population 68,747) now
is facing significant economic hardships.  Severe
economic stress has caused divestiture of industrial and
commercial facilities and the city's housing stock,
particularly in the area surrounding the former Cham-
berlain Manufacturing Company site. The population
around the site has high unemployment rates and low-
income wages, and nearly half of the  residents are
minorities. Nearly 1,300 residents live within half amile
of the cleanup site, and a municipal park and school are
in close proximity. The abandoned buildings on the
property are detrimental to property values of the
surrounding homes. Cleanup of the site is expected to
reduce environmental justice concerns in the neighbor-
 Cleanup Grant
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected the City of Waterloo for a
 brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances
 grant funds will be used to clean up the former
 Chamberlain Manufacturing Company site at 550
 Esther Street, a vacant metal fabricating plant and
 munitions facility contaminated withtrichloroethyl-
 ene and inorganic contaminants.
 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: City of Waterloo, IA
 319-291-4366

 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.
hood, contribute to removing the stigma associated
with the site, and help the city cultivate reinvestment
opportunities.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA560-F-08-169
                         April 2008
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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