Brownfields 2005 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
               Gardena, CA
EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states.
communities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield 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. Additionally, funding
support is provided to state and tribal response
programs through a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The City of Gardena was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Gardena (population
57,818) is one of the most diverse cities in the Los
Angeles Basin. The target community for this project
exemplifies this diversity. Nearly 33 percent of
residents are Latino, 28.7 percent are
African-American, and 23.6 percent are Asian. The
poverty and unemployment rates in the area are 15.5
and 7.8 percent, respectively. The area is a mix of
residential, industrial, and commercial sites. Survey
work indicated that less than ten percent of structures in
the area are in good condition, nearly 36 percent of the
buildings are deteriorated or dilapidated, and more than
42 percent have conditions which hinder economically
viable use of the property. Assessment and eventual
cleanup of brownfields will help reduce the threat of
potential groundwater contamination, which is
especially important because this community relies on
groundwater for its drinking water. Once the sites are
cleaned up, the city expects to work with its partners to
redevelop a number of parcels for retail space and make
improvements to the area's streetscape.
                   Assessment Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances
                   $200,000 for petroleum

                   EPA has selected the City of Gardena for two
                   brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous
                   substances grant funds will be used to identify
                   potential sites to be addressed, support community
                   involvement activities, and conduct Phase I and II
                   environmental site assessments at sites in areas of the
                   city in the greatest need. Petroleum funds will be
                   used to perform the same tasks at sites with potential
                   petroleum contamination.

                   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
                   (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).

                   EPA Region 9 Brownfields Team
                   (415) 972-3091
                   EPA Region 9 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/region9/brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient: City of Gardena,CA
                   (310)217-9533

                   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 negotiated.
                   Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are
                   subject to change.
  United States
  Environmental
  Protection Agency
  Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA560-F-05-138
        May 05

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