Brownfields 2010 Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
               Juncos, PR
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 Municipality of Juncos was selected to receive  two
brownfields assessment grants. Founded in 1797, Juncos
(population 36,452) is located in east-central Puerto Rico.
In the early 1900s, Juncos was an industrialized
community with significant agricultural, food product,
and heavy machinery manufacturing facilities.  Some of
the most prominent facilities were sugar mills and
tobacco  factories. By the late 1970s, these industries had
ceased operation, leaving behind deteriorating and
potentially contaminated structures. The unknown
contamination has discouraged the redevelopment of
many sites for decades. The lack of investment has
contributed to high poverty and unemployment rates and
low income levels in comparison to neighboring
municipalities. Brownfield assessments are expected to
facilitate cleanups by quantifying environmental
contamination, thereby removing a critical roadblock to
redevelopment as envisioned in the Juncos Land Use
Master Plan.
                     Assessment Grants

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

                     EPA has selected the Municipality of Juncos for
                     two brownfields assessment grants.
                     Community-wide hazardous substances grant
                     funds will be used to prepare an inventory of
                     potentially contaminated sites, conduct six Phase I
                     and three Phase II environmental site assessments,
                     and support community outreach activities.
                     Petroleum grant funds will be used to prepare an
                     inventory of potentially contaminated sites,
                     conduct seven Phase I and four Phase II
                     environmental site assessments, 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 2 Brownfields Team
                     (212) 637-3260
                     EPA Region 2 Brownfields Web site
                     (http://www.epa.gov/region2/bro wnfields)

                     Grant Recipient: Municipality of Juncos,PR
                     787-734-8651

                     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-10-051
      April 2010

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