Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
               Lake
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

Lake County was selected to receive two brownfields
assessment grants. Lake County (population 11,793) is a
rural county in northwestern Michigan. It is rich in natural
resources, including the Manistee National Forest, 150
lakes, and 3 scenic rivers. The county's economy is
dependent upon tourism, which has declined significantly
and is continuing to decline. A major tourist attraction is
Idlewild, one of the first and largest resorts primarily for
African-Americans and a registered historic district. Prior
to 1964, the summertime population swelled to 25,000,
but has now dropped to 3,000. The unemployment rate is
11.8 percent. Abandoned buildings with unknown
contamination are intermingled within residential areas
and create blight along major transportation corridors.
Thirteen sites in the county are known to be contaminated
with hazardous substances, and 29 underground storage
tanks are known to be leaking. Assessment of brownfields
is expected to encourage the redevelopment of blighted
sites and help the county advance its goals of protecting
natural and agricultural resources.
                     Assessment Grants

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

                     EPA has selected Lake County for two
                     brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                     hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                     conduct 15 Phase I and 6 Phase II environmental
                     site assessments. Petroleum grant funds will be
                     used to conduct 20 Phase I and 7 Phase II
                     environmental site assessments. Grant funds also
                     will be used to inventory sites, prepare baseline
                     environmental assessments, conduct cleanup
                     planning, 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 5 Brownfields Team
                     (312)886-7576
                     EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
                     (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfiel ds)

                     Grant Recipient: Lake County, Michigan
                     (231)745-2722

                     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-09-096
      May 2009

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