Brownfields  2003 Assessment  Grant Fact Sheet
               Bellingham, WA
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. On
January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed
into law the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields
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 Bellingham was selected to receive an
assessment grant. Bellingham has a population of
approximately 67,000. Since the 1980s, city plans have
called for redevelopment of Little Squalicum Park,
including construction of trails and park facilities,
realignment of Little  Squalicum Creek inside the park,
and enhancement offish and wildlife habitat. Local,
state, and federal funds have been budgeted for this
purpose, but plans were put on hold because of
concerns that the creek and adjacent areas may be
contaminated by hazardous substances. The city will
continue to rely on assistance from community
organizations to support the project and has developed a
community participation plan to ensure active and
continuous community involvement in the assessment
program and in any additional cleanup, habitat
restoration, and park redevelopment efforts.
                   Assessment Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances

                   EPA has selected the City of Bellingham for a
                   brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be
                   used to investigate potential environmental
                   contamination in the Little Squalicum Creek Park
                   area. The primary concern is contamination from
                   creosote and pentachlorophenol (PCP), both of
                   which may be used by wood-treatment facilities.

                   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 10 Brownfields Team
                   (206)553-7299
                   EPA Region 10 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/
                   sites/bf)

                   Grant Recipient: City of Bellingham,WA
                   (360) 676-6880

                   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 500-F-03-056
        Jun 03

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