Brownfields 2008 Cleanup Grant  Fact Sheet
               Durham, NH
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 Town of Durham was selected to receive a
brownfields cleanup grant. Located in the southeast
corner of New Hampshire, Durham (population 12,664)
is home to the University of New Hampshire. The town
and university community have a diverse population.
Youths make up one third of the town's population, and
the poverty rate is nearly 28 percent. The
unemployment rate in Durham is 6.7 percent. The
Depot Road site is located in the middle of the
university campus. It abuts a high-speed rail corridor, a
6,000-seat arena, and the women's athletic fields. The
tetrachloroethene contamination at the site poses a
threat to students and athletes who play on the fields,
visitors who attend university events, and the area's
groundwater. The site is considered one of the most
contaminated in the state. Cleanup of the site will
reduce risks to human health and the environment and
allay the concerns of area neighbors and visitors.  Once
cleanup is complete, the town plans to reuse the site for
a much-needed 161-space parking facility.
                   Cleanup Grant

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances
                   EPA has selected the Town of Durham for a
                   brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances
                   grant funds will be used to clean up the quarter-acre
                   Depot Road site. From the 1940s through 1989, the
                   site was occupied by a company that distributed
                   supplies and chemicals to area dry cleaners. Site soil
                   and groundwater are contaminated with
                   tetrachloroethene, a volatile organic compound.
                   Grant funds also will be used to support community
                   involvement 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 1 Brownfields Team
                   (617)918-1424
                   EPA Region 1 Brownfields Web site
                   (http: //www. epa.gov/region 1 /brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient: Town of Durham,NH
                   (603) 868-5578

                   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-08-032
        Mar 08

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