Brownfields 2010 Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
               Pelzer, SC
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

The Town of Pelzer was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Located along the Saluda
River in northwestern South Carolina, Pelzer
(population 103) was founded around the Pelzer
Manufacturing Company. The company consisted of
four mills and occupied 13 non-contiguous parcels
totaling  1,679 acres. Two mills were powered by water,
one by a coal-burning steam engine, and the last by
electricity. A close-knit community grew around the
company, which became the heart of the town. During
the 20th century, the mills were sold a number of times
until they closed in the late 1990s. Debris in the mill
areas is suspected of being contaminated, posing
potential threats to adjacent residential areas and the
Saluda River. With only 33 homes and a few small
commercial businesses in town, Pelzer has a tax base
that is too small to yield revenue for assessments.
Brownfield assessments will help the  town identify
contaminated areas, address related risks, and facilitate
site cleanup and reuse.
                   Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous
                   substances
                   EPA has selected the Town of Pelzer for a
                   brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide
                   hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                   conduct three Phase I and three Phase II
                   environmental site assessments and develop cleanup
                   plans. Grant funds also will be used to 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 4 Brownfields Team
                   (404) 562-8792
                   EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site
                   (http: //www. epa.gov/region4/waste/bf)

                   Grant Recipient: Town of Pelzer,SC
                   (864)947-6231

                   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-10-082
        Apr 10

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