Brownfields 2011 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
               Decatur, IL
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 City of Decatur was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Located along the
Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in central Illinois,
Decatur (population 77,047) evolved  from a productive
farming community into a strong regional industrial
and railroad hub. The city was home to foundries,
manufacturing plants, and flour and oil mills. Today,
many industries have abandoned operations in Decatur
and moved to newer facilities, contributing to a loss of
jobs, population, and income. Since 2000, the city has
lost nearly 8,000 residents. Brownfields are a major
component of the city's landscape, especially in the
targeted central urban transportation corridors. The city
has an unemployment rate of over 12 percent, and 16.5
percent of the city's residents live below the poverty
level. Brownfield assessments will help the city
determine environmental concerns at  priority sites and
are expected to lead to site cleanup and reuse.
                   Assessment Grants

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances
                   $200,000 for petroleum

                   EPA has selected the City of Decatur for two
                   brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                   hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                   perform 25 Phase I environmental site assessments.
                   Petroleum grant funds will be used to perform 25
                   Phase I environmental site assessments. Hazardous
                   substances and petroleum grant funds will be used to
                   perform five or six Phase II environmental site
                   assessments, support community outreach activities,
                   and conduct cleanup planning 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: City of Decatur,IL
                   217-424-2727

                   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)
E PA 560-F-128-067
         May 11

-------