Brownfields 2010 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
               Calhoun County, Ml
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

Calhoun County was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. Located in south-central Michigan
between Chicago and Detroit, Calhoun County
(population 137,452) was historically occupied by
settlers who were drawn to the grain, flour, and saw
mills built along the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo
Rivers. Cereal production and heavy industry followed,
and the cities of Calhoun County became industrial
manufacturing centers. By the  1980s, heavy
manufacturing was declining, and unemployment
greatly increased. Large and small brownfields were
created throughout the county. The state has identified
more than 300 sites with known contamination and
more than 350 smaller, potentially impacted sites
around the county. Many are close to residential
neighborhoods, parks, and schools. The county"s
declining manufacturing base has triggered
out-migration of residents and revenue shortfalls.
Between 2005 and 2009, the county lost 3,900 jobs.
The unemployment rate exceeds 15 percent.
Brownfield assessments are the first steps toward
returning abandoned lands to economic productivity.
                   Assessment Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances

                   EPA has selected Calhoun County for a brownfields
                   assessment grant. Community-wide hazardous
                   substances grant funds will be used to update the
                   county"s inventory of sites, conduct 12 Phase I and
                   six Phase II environmental site assessments, and
                   develop six Michigan Voluntary Cleanup Program
                   documents at sites throughout the county. Grant
                   funds also will be used for cleanup planning and
                   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 5 Brownfields Team
                   (312)886-7576
                   EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient: Calhoun County,MI
                   269-781-9841

                   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-10-099
        Apr 10

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