Brownfields 2010 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet
™ Esparto Unified School District, CA
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 Esparto Unified School District was selected to
receive a brownfields cleanup grant. Esparto (population
2,753) is the largest unincorporated rural community in
Yolo County, a predominantly agricultural region in
central California. The school district serves Esparto and
10 other surrounding rural communities. The current high
school was built in 1893 and can accommodate only 270
students, although 341 students currently are enrolled.
The student body is expected to increase by an additional
135 students during the next five years. More than 50
percent of the students in the district are Hispanic, and 58
percent of district households are considered low-income.
Cleanup of the target site will help facilitate
redevelopment of the property as a modern school campus
that will better serve the student population and increase
recreational facilities.
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Esparto Unified School
District for a brownfields cleanup grant.
Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
clean up the proposed Esparto High School site at
16558 County Road 85B. The site has been used
for agriculture or rangeland since at least 1937. A
railroad right-of-way operated along the northern
border of the site from about 1916 until 1959. Site
soil is contaminated with arsenic, probably from
the use of pesticides associated with the railroad
tracks. Grant funds also will be used to 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 9 Brownfields Team
(213)244-1821
EPA Region 9 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region9/bro wnfields)
Grant Recipient: Esparto Unified School
District,CA
530-787-3446
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)
EPA560-F-10-160
April 2010
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