Brownfields 2009  Cleanup  Grant Fact Sheet
               Fremont, NE
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 City of Fremont was selected to receive a
brownfields cleanup grant. Located in northeastern
Nebraska, Fremont's (population 25,174) economy has
been based on agriculture. The city was the site of the
first transcontinental telegraph line, railroad, and
highway. It is still an agribusiness community that
includes manufacturing, retail businesses, and colleges.
Recent industry closings in the food processing sector
have resulted in several hundred job losses. The city's
geography makes it difficult to find property for
business expansion and growth. Most of the property
north and east of the city lies in the floodplain of the
Elkhorn River, which regularly becomes blocked with
winter ice floes and floods. The southern edge of
Fremont is bounded by the Platte River. City residents
rely solely on groundwater as their drinking water
source, and contamination at the target site has the
potential to negatively impact groundwater. When the
target site is cleaned up, the city plans to reuse it to
expand an adjacent business park and to connect to the
city's recreational trail system. Site redevelopment and
reuse are expected to provide businesses with space to
grow, create new jobs, and increase property values.
                   Cleanup Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances

                   EPA has selected the City of Fremont for a
                   brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances
                   grant funds will be used to clean up the Izaak Walton
                   Trap Range at 20th Avenue and Christensen Field
                   Road. The 17-acre site is a former trap shooting
                   range and is contaminated with metals. Grant funds
                   also will be used to support community involvement
                   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 7 Brownfields Team
                   (800) 223-0425
                   EPA Region 7 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/brown fields)

                   Grant Recipient: City of Fremont,NE
                   (402) 727-2630

                   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-09-193
        May 09

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