Brownfields  2010 Assessment  Grant Fact  Sheet
               P/ma County, AZ
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

Pima County was selected to receive two brownfields
assessment grants. The county is focusing its
assessment efforts on the communities of Ajo, Why,
and Lukeville (combined population 4,000). Located in
the Sonoran Desert environment of southwest Arizona,
they are the most remote communities in the county.
Copper mining and tourism were once the economic
engines  for the area, but these industries have been
greatly diminished. The closing of a large Coppermine
in the mid-1980s has devastated the once vibrant
businesses along the Arizona Route 85 corridor
extending through the three towns. Many buildings
along the corridor are now vacant, and about 90
potential brownfield sites have been identified. Median
household incomes are 40 percent lower than the
national average, and unemployment rates are as high
as 14.9 percent. More than 22 percent of residents live
in poverty. Assessment of brownfields is expected to
facilitate retail and commercial redevelopment
opportunities by identifying contamination and
bridging the gap in pre-development costs.
                   Assessment Grants

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

                   EPA has selected Pima County for two brownfields
                   assessment grants. Community-wide hazardous
                   substances grant funds will be used to prepare an
                   inventory of brownfields, conduct approximately 14
                   Phase I and five Phase II environmental site
                   assessments, and conduct community involvement
                   activities. 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 9 Brownfields Team
                   (213)244-1821
                   EPA Region 9 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/region9/brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient: Pima County,AZ
                   520-243-6765

                   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-10-156
        Apr 10

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