Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet Ottawa County, OH RECOUERY.GOV 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 February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Recovery Act is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, and create or save millions of jobs. This law provided stimulus funds to the Brownfields Program to award grants to evaluate and clean up former industrial and commercial sites. Under this law, EPA will provide financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Community Description Ottawa County was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Located on Lake Erie in northern Ohio, Ottawa County (population 41,331) has been adversely affected by the loss of manufacturing and other businesses that served the community since the 1950s. Since 2000, over 30 businesses, including 5 of the county's largest manufacturers, have closed. Those closings have left a legacy of abandoned, underused, and contaminated properties, quarries, and gypsum mines. Some of these sites are close to residences and agricultural land. The county experienced an 18.4 percent decrease in manufacturing employment from 2000 to 2006. During the last eight years, the county's median household income has fallen to less than 80 percent of the state's median income. The impact of this decline is most evident in Port Clinton, the county's largest municipality, which has a poverty rate exceeding 27 percent. Assessment of brownfields is expected to catalyze cleanup and redevelopment, and preserve agricultural land and other greenspace. Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances (Recovery Act Funding) EPA has selected Ottawa County for a brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds will be used to inventory and prioritize brownfields, conduct about 18 Phase I and 10 Phase II environmental site assessments, conduct cleanup planning, and 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: Ottawa County,OH (419)734-6781 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-09-207 May 09 ------- |