Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant
Fact Sheet
Rio Dell, CA
RECOWERY.GOV
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
February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into
law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The
Recovery Act is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our
economy, and create or save millions of jobs. This law
provided stimulus funds to the Brownfields Program to
award grants to evaluate and clean up former industrial
and commercial sites. Under this law, EPA will provide
financial assistance to eligible applicants through four
competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving
loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.
Community Description
The City of Rio Dell was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Located in rural Humboldt
County, Rio Dell (population 3,200) is a small village
adjacent to the Eel River, the third largest watershed in the
state and a designated Wild and Scenic River. It also is
adjacent to the Scotia Bluffs that contain fossils up to 50
million years old. Despite the city's distinctive culture,
location, and history, its residents are experiencing
economic stress. The city's unemployment rate is 12.5
percent, and the poverty rate is 23 percent. The median
household income is lower than the rest of the county and
the state. The city's economic condition can be traced to
its history and the decline of the timber industry, which
left behind vacant, environmentally degraded brownfields.
Contamination from the Eel River Sawmills site has been
detected in groundwater. Assessment of the target site is
expected to leverage cleanup funds and facilitate its
redevelopment and reuse.
Assessment Grant
$350,000 for hazardous substances
(Recovery Act Funding)
EPA has selected the City of Rio Dell for a
brownfields assessment grant. Site-specific
hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental site
assessments at the former Eel River Sawmills site
at 1053 Northwestern Avenue in Fortuna. Prior to
1952, the 45-acre site was used for agricultural
purposes. A sawmill then operated on the property
from 1958 to 2002. Grant funds also will be used
to identify cleanup options 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 9 Brownfields Team
(415) 972-3091
EPA Region 9 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region9/bro wnfields)
Grant Recipient: City of Rio Dell,CA
(707) 764-3532
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-09-086
May 2009
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