^ Brownfields 2011 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet ™ Lenawee 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 Lenawee County was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. Located in south-central Michigan, Lenawee County (population 98,890) began experiencing job losses and plant closures as its manufacturing sector declined in the 1980s. As companies closed or moved away, contaminated former industrial sites were left abandoned and vacant. The target site is in the City of Adrian, west of the downtown area, and is surrounded by residential neighborhoods. Contamination from the site poses significant environmental and public health threats, including threats to the area water supply as the site is within the River Raisin Watershed. More than 1,000 jobs were lost recently when four businesses in Adrian closed. The unemployment rate in the city is 15 percent. Once the target site is cleaned up, a local firm is interested in expanding its operations onto the site, which would create more than 120 jobs, increase the tax base, and help reverse the trend of disinvestment in the surrounding neighborhoods. Cleanup Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected Lenawee County for a brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to clean up the 3.3-acre former Buckeye Products site at 410 East Beecher Street in the City of Adrian. From the mid-1960s to the early 1990s, the site was a metal plating facility. It was later used for plastic processing. Site groundwater is contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), and site soil is contaminated with TCE, toluene, cyanide, and metals. 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 5 Brownfields Team (312)886-7576 EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields) Grant Recipient: Lenawee County,MI 517-264-4857 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) E PA 560-F-128-083 May 11 ------- |