United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-00-010
April 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
v>EPA Brownfields Supplemental
Assistance
Colrain, MA
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states,
tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods
to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND
EPA awarded the Town of Colrain supplemental
assistance for its Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot. Colrain (population 1,757) is a
rural town located in the hills of western
Massachusetts. In August 1996, the Town lost its
largest employer and taxpayer, American Fiber &
Finishing (AF&F). The cotton bleaching mill had
been in continuous operation for 150 years. The loss
of this major employer has devastated Colrain's
economy. As a result of the complex's closing, 160
people lost their jobs. The Town's unemployment
rate is 8.7 percent, fifth-highest in the state, and
nearly 11 percent of the community' s residents live in
poverty.
Colrain wants to facilitate the redevelopment of the
AF&F site to create jobs, stabilize the local tax base,
and establish a process for redeveloping other
brownfields in the town. The initial assessments at
the site found more extensive contamination than
originally anticipated. It was also concluded that the
potential for contamination migration to the two on-
site water supplies and Zone 2 protection wells was
greater because of the building removal activities at
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Colrain, Massachusetts
Date of Announcement:
March 2000
Amount: $40,000
Profile: The Pilot targets two
sites for assessment, cleanup,
and redevelopment activities,
including a former cotton
bleaching millandanabandoned,
fire-ravaged mill.
Contacts:
Colrain Board of
Selectmen
Town of Co I rain
(413)624-3454
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 1
(617)918-1209
Visit the EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region01/Femed/bmfld/
Forfurtherinformation, including specific Pilotcontacts,
additional Pilot information.brownfieldsnewsandevente.and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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the site. In addition to the AF&F site, the Pilot will
also target the abandoned Upper Mill site for
assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment.
OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES
Colrain's goal is to cleanup and redevelop the
contaminated mill sites to protect human health and
the environment, create permanent jobs, and strengthen
the local tax base. In addition, to on-site mill
contamination, the Pilot will focus on assessing the
potential risks posed to the North River and the water
supply for the nearby towns. Related efforts are
underway to restore the North River habitat for
salmon.
To accomplish these objectives, the Pilot plans to:
• Conduct comprehensive Phase II assessments and
prepare cleanup plans at the AF&F and Upper Mill
sites, including an assessment of the North River;
• Provide the public with understandable information
about the assessment results;
• Develop reuse plans for both sites; and
• Facilitate citizen involvement in the assessment,
cleanup, and redevelopment at both sites.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this factsheetare subject to change.
Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Colrain, Massachusetts
April 2000 EPA 500-F-00-010
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