Brownfields 2009  Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
               Washington County Council of Governments, ME
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 Washington County Council of Governments was
selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants.
The Council serves 47 communities in rural Downcast
Maine (population 33,941). Washington County has a
proud industrial and manufacturing heritage that
includes lumber and paper mills, ship builders, and
canneries dating back to the mid-1800s. Regional loss
of manufacturing employment and long-term economic
decline have left many vacant and underused buildings
in downtown areas. Within Washington County, 35
petroleum and 85 hazardous substances brownfield sites
that occupy more than 200 acres have been identified.
Washington County is one of the most distressed
counties in the state because of its distance from other
population centers and its reliance on seasonal
economies such as blueberry and Christmas tree
harvesting, fishing, and clamming. Brownfield
assessments are expected to be the first step toward site
cleanup and redevelopment.
                   Assessment Grants

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

                   EPA has selected the Washington County Council of
                   Governments for two brownfields assessment grants.
                   Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds
                   will be used to conduct up to four Phase I and four
                   Phase II environmental site assessments. Petroleum
                   grant funds will be used to conduct up to six Phase I
                   and six Phase II environmental site assessments.
                   Grant funds also will be used to inventory
                   brownfields, conduct cleanup planning, and support
                   community outreach and education activities. The
                   county will focus on four target communities:
                   Calais, Cherryfield, Cutler, and Machias.

                   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 1 Brownfields Team
                   (617)918-1424
                   EPA Region 1 Brownfields Web site
                   (http: //www. epa.gov/region 1 /brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient: Washington County Council of
                   Governments
                   (207) 454-0465

                   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-09-256
        May 09

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