Brownfields 2011 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet Community Environmental Company, LLC, Western South Carolina 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 Community Environmental Company, LLC, (CEC) was selected to receive three brownfields cleanup grants. The CEC serves the Graniteville, Vaucluse, and Warrenville communities (combined population 7,009) on the Savannah River in western South Carolina. The area was home to the state's first large-scale cotton manufacturing plant, known today as the former Avondale Mills. The mill operated from 1846 until it closed in 2006. In addition to contamination related to the dyeing and finishing processes at the site, a 2005 train accident damaged the mill and resulted in a chlorine spill. The mill closing left more than 2,000 area residents without jobs and resulted in 15 large brownfield sites encompassing more than 250 acres in the three communities. Cleanup of the three target sites will reduce the potential threats of exposure to contaminants. Once the sites are cleaned up, the CEC plans to renovate the buildings on the sites before marketing the properties for sale or lease. Proposed redevelopment plans also include the creation of additional greenspace along the banks of Horse Creek, which runs adjacent to the sites. Cleanup Grants $600,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the Community Environmental Company, LLC, for three brownfields cleanup grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to clean up the Gregg Plant portion of the former Avondale Mill located at 180 Marshall Street in Graniteville. The site operated as a textile dyeing and finishing plant for more than 60 years and is contaminated with PCBs. Grant funds also will be used to clean up the 2.8-acre Granite Plant-Red Barn property of the former Avondale Mill located on Ascauga Lake Road in Graniteville. The site was used for chemical and equipment storage and as a dumpsite for unwanted equipment and machinery. The site is contaminated with semi-volatile organic compounds and metals. Grant funds also will be used to clean up the 7.3-acre Warren Plant property of the former Avondale Mill located on Augusta Road in Warrenville. The site operated as a textile dyeing and finishing facility for more than a century and is contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and metals. Grant funds also will be used for community outreach activities at the three sites. 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 4 Brownfields Team (404) 562-8792 EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site (http: //www. epa.gov/region4/waste/bf) Grant Recipient: Community Environmental Company, LLC,SC 803-663-6848 The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The cooperative United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) E PA 560-F-128-060 May 11 ------- 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-128-060 May 11 ------- |