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  Brownfields  2007

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

        Pawtucket,  Rl


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 Pawtucket was selected to receive three
brownfields cleanup grants. Located along the
Blackstone River, Pawtucket (population 72,727) was
a thriving industrial city anchoring development
throughout the Blackstone Valley for more than a
century. As the 20th Century progressed, many of the
industrial facilities along the river became obsolete
and were shut down or underused. When Interstate 95
was constructed, it severed the already declining
riverfront from the rest of the city. Many of the city's
low-income and minority residents are  concentrated in
the older neighborhoods along the riverfront and
within the city's industrial core. Nearly 31 percent of
city residents are minorities, and the median family
income is only 74 percent of the state median. The
riverfront area is home to 20 known contaminated sites
 Cleanup  Grants
 $600,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected the City of Pawtucket for three
 brownfields cleanup grants. Grant funds will be
 used to clean up Parcels 5, 9, and 13 of the Front
 Street Parcels. These parcels housed a variety of
 operations, including a wood turning factory,
 yarn and dye company, print shop, and auto
 junkyard. The properties are contaminated with
 metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and
 other hazardous substances. Funds also will be
 used to support community involvement activi-
 ties.
 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 1 Brownfields Team
 617-918-1424
 http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/

 Grant Recipient: City of Pawtucket, RI
 401-724-5200

 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.
and accounts for nearly half of the city's contaminated
acreage. Once the Front Street Parcels are cleaned up,
the city plans to link the area to the Blackstone Valley
Bikeway and create mixed-use developments. Rede-
velopment will restore public access to the riverfront,
create jobs, and increase city revenue.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA560-F-07-135
                         May 2007
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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