Brownfields  2009 Assessment  Grant Fact  Sheet
               Windham, ME
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 Town of Windham was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Located in southwestern
Maine along the eastern shore of Sebago Lake, Windham
(population 14,904) is one of Maine's oldest communities.
The town is bordered by the Presumpscot River, whose
hydropower and shipping  access supported the town's
rapid industrial growth. By the mid-1900s, declining
industrial activity resulted in job and tax revenue losses
and environmental contamination. A 2004 brownfields
survey identified 33 potential brownfield sites in
Windham. These sites include junkyards, former service
stations, and manufacturing facilities. They deter
redevelopment, pose human health risks, and have
contaminated the town aquifer. Sebago Lake, the source
of drinking water for 15 percent of state residents, is lined
by many abandoned facilities. Brownfield assessments are
the first  step in protecting  and preserving the water quality
of Sebago Lake and other  lakes and rivers in the area.
They also are expected to  help catalyze redevelopment
projects  in Windham.
                     Assessment Grant

                     $200,000 for hazardous substances
                     EPA has selected the Town of Windham for a
                     brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide
                     hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                     inventory and prioritize brownfield sites, and
                     conduct six Phase I and three Phase II
                     environmental site assessments. Grant funds also
                     will be used to conduct cleanup planning and
                     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/regionl/bro wnfields)

                     Grant Recipient: Town of Windham,ME
                     (207) 892-1907

                     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-09-272
      May 2009

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