Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
               Lowell,  MA
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 Lowell was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Lowell (population
105,167) is located 30 miles northwest of Boston. The
city is crossed by two rivers and several canals that  were
lined with mills in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Businesses at these mills included fabric manufacturers,
tanneries, and heavy industry. With the decline in
manufacturing, many of these mills closed and remain
vacant and dilapidated. Recent closures and an exodus of
businesses from the area have added to the number of
brownfields and cost the city nearly 20,000 jobs over the
last 20 years. A recent brownfields inventory identified
more than 500 parcels in need of assessment. Many of
these sites are in lower income neighborhoods with
growing minority populations, where 25 to 34 percent of
residents live below the poverty level. Assessment of
brownfields is expected to help the city better understand
the extent of contamination and serve as a catalyst for
future redevelopment.
                     Assessment Grants

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

                     EPA has selected the City of Lowell for two
                     brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                     hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                     perform up to 10 Phase I and up to 4 Phase II
                     environmental site assessments, conduct cleanup
                     planning, and support community involvement
                     activities. Petroleum grant funds will be used to
                     perform the same tasks at sites with potential
                     petroleum contamination. The city plans to focus
                     on sites in the JAM and Acre Renewal Areas, two
                     of the lowest income neighborhoods in Lowell.
                     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: City of Lowell,MA
                     (978) 446-7200

                     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-09-064
      May 2009

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