Brownfields 2011 Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
               Elkhart County, IN
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

Elkhart County was selected to receive two brownfields
assessment grants. Located in northern Indiana near the
Michigan border, Elkhart County (population 200,502)
has been disproportionately impacted by brownfields.
The county is targeting the State Road 19 North and
South Corridors, which serve as the primary
transportation and access routes to the City of Elkhart.
The corridors have been neglected as heavy industry,
junkyards, and dumps occupied the areas. They contain
up to 139 industrial parcels, of which as many as 60
may be brownfields. The city's unemployment rate is
13.4 percent. The high unemployment rate coupled with
decreasing wages has contributed to an extremely high
foreclosure rate. More than 15 percent of residents are
Hispanic or Latino. Brownfield assessments will
identify the sites with the greatest potential for cleanup
and redevelopment and help clarify the contamination
concerns that discourage investment.
                   Assessment Grants

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

                   EPA has selected Elkhart County for two
                   brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                   hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                   inventory and prioritize sites, and conduct 10 to 15
                   Phase I and six to eight Phase II environmental site
                   assessments. Grant funds also will be used to support
                   community outreach activities, conduct cleanup
                   planning, and prepare area-wide plans for the State
                   Road 19 North and 19 South Corridors. Petroleum
                   grant 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 5 Brownfields Team
                   (312)886-7576
                   EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient: Elkhart County,IN
                   (574)875-3335

                   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)
E PA 560-F-128-074
         May 11

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