Brownfields  2010 Cleanup  Grant Fact Sheet
               Northcoast Environmental Center, Arcata, CA
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 Northcoast Environmental Center (NEC) was
selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. The
NEC is located in Arcata (population 17,044) in
Humboldt County about 285 miles north of San
Francisco. Arcata is a former lumber town that in recent
years has benefited economically from the presence of
Humboldt State University. Arcata has dozens of
brownfields sites, most of which are within the city"s
urban core. The target site is situated half a block from
Arcata Plaza, the social and economic hub of the
community. It has been vacant since 2000 when a fire
destroyed the commercial structure on the property.
Groundwater at the site flows into Humboldt Bay,
potentially impacting the bay. Cleanup of the target site
will reduce contamination at the site and minimize the
threat of exposure. Once the site is cleaned up,  the NEC
expects to redevelop the site with mixed-use
development that will include office, retail, and
low-income housing facilities.
                   Cleanup Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances

                   EPA has selected the Northcoast Environmental
                   Center for a brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous
                   substances grant funds will be used to clean up the
                   0.1-acre Northcoast Environmental Center parcel at
                   879 9th Street. The site is contaminated primarily
                   with chlorinated hydrocarbons and volatile organic
                   compounds in the soil and groundwater, probably
                   from the building"s use as a dry cleaning business
                   from the 1970s to 1983. Grant funds also will be
                   used for post-cleanup monitoring at the site.

                   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 9 Brownfields Team
                   (213)244-1821
                   EPA Region 9 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/region9/brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient: Northcoast Environmental
                   Center,CA
                   530-623-5410

                   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-10-163
        Apr 10

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