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  Brownfields  2008

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

          Durham,  NH


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 Town of Durham was selected to receive a
brownfields cleanup grant. Located in the southeast
corner of New Hampshire, Durham (population
12,664) is home to the University of New Hampshire.
The town and university community have a diverse
population. Youths make up one third of the town's
population, and the poverty rate is nearly 28 percent.
The unemployment rate in Durham is 6.7 percent. The
Depot Road site is located in the middle of the univer-
sity campus. It abuts a high-speed rail corridor, a 6,000-
seat arena, and the women's athletic fields. The
tetrachloroethene contamination at the site poses a
threat to students and athletes who play on the fields,
visitors who attend university events, and the area's
groundwater. The site is considered one of the most
contaminated in the state. Cleanup of the site will
 Cleanup Grant
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected the Town of Durham for a
 brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances
 grant funds will be used to clean up the quarter-
 acre Depot Road site. From the 1940s through
 1989, the site was occupied by a company that
 distributed supplies and chemicals to area dry
 cleaners. Site soil and groundwater are contami-
 nated with tetrachloroethene, a volatile organic
 compound. Grant funds also will be used to support
 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 1 Brownfields Team
 617-918-1424
 http://www.epa.gov/regionl/brownfields

 Grant Recipient: Town of Durham, NH
 603-868-5578

 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.
reduce risks to human health and the environment and
allay the concerns of area neighbors and visitors.
Once cleanup is complete, the town plans to reuse the
site for a much-needed 161-space parking facility.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-08-032
                        April 2008
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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