•    Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
               Windber, PA
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. In
2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help
states and communities around the country cleanup and
revitalize brownfields sites. 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

Windber Borough was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. Located in southwestern
Pennsylvania, Windber Borough (population 4,053) was
established in 1897 by the Berwind family as a model
20th century mining town. Many immigrants were
attracted to the area because of the coal industry's great
demand for workers. Windber's prosperity lasted only
as long as its coal resources. The borough's population
has continuously decreased since peaking in 1920 at
9,000. The decline of the coal industry and the
subsequent closing of the Berwind-White Coal Mining
Company in 1962 left Windber's economy in decline
and resulted in brownfield sites throughout the area.
The most widespread environmental problem is acid
mine drainage from these sites. The percentage of
families living below the poverty level and the
unemployment rate are significantly higher than the
state and national rates. Brownfield assessments will
identify the contaminants that threaten human health
and the environment, and are expected to reduce
uncertainties about brownfields and help determine
appropriate site reuse.
                   Assessment Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances

                   EPA has selected Windber Borough for a
                   brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide
                   hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                   develop an inventory of sites and conduct six Phase I
                   and four Phase II environmental site assessments
                   throughout the borough. Grant funds also will be
                   used to conduct cleanup planning and support
                   community outreach 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
                   (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).

                   EPA Region 3 Brownfields Team
                   (215)814-3129
                   EPA Region 3 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bf-lr)

                   Grant Recipient: Windber Borough,PA
                   (814)467-9014

                   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)
EPA 560-F-09-223
        May 09

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