Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant
               Fact Sheet
               Rock Island, IL
                                                        RECOUERY.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 Rock Island was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Located in northwest
Illinois, Rock Island (population 39,684) has a long
industrial history that developed around the railroad and
the Mississippi River. The city founded the famous Rock
Island Line railroad and is home to the first railroad
bridge built across the Mississippi River. During the late
20th century, declines in industrial operations, including
the liquidation of the Rock Island Line in 1980, have left
a legacy of abandoned and contaminated properties. The
city has identified 51 brownfields, and 22 of these sites
have potential petroleum contamination. The majority of
these sites are in the oldest and most disadvantaged
neighborhoods with minority populations as high as 62.6
percent. Assessment of brownfields is expected to
catalyze site cleanup and redevelopment.
                     Assessment Grant
                     $150,000 for petroleum (Recovery Act
                     Funding)
                     EPA has selected the City of Rock Island for a
                     brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide
                     petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct at
                     least five Phase I and three Phase II environmental
                     site assessments, 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 5 Brownfields Team
                     (312)886-7576
                     EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
                     (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfiel ds)

                     Grant Recipient: City of Rock Island,IL
                     (309) 732-2920

                     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-09-129
      May 2009

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