Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
               Gardena, CA
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 Gardena was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Located near Los Angeles,
Gardena (population 61,781) has a significant metals
industry due to southern California's role in World War II
manufacturing and the growth of the aerospace industry
after World War II. Today, the city contains 125 potential
brownfields covering more than 150 acres, or more than
10 percent of the city's commercial and industrial land. Of
the city's residents, 32 percent are Hispanic or Latino, 27
percent are Asian, and 26 percent are African-American.
The per capita income is lower than the national average,
and 16 percent of residents live below the poverty level.
The city's assessment efforts will be focused on the
Rosecrans Revitalization Project Area in northern
Gardena. Assessment of brownfields is expected to
provide  information about contamination and encourage
redevelopment in the community.
                     Assessment Grants

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

                     EPA has selected the City of Gardena for two
                     brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                     hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                     conduct a brownfields inventory and perform from
                     three to four Phase I and one to two Phase II
                     environmental site assessments. Community-wide
                     petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct a
                     brownfields inventory and perform from four to
                     five Phase I and one to two Phase II environmental
                     site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to
                     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 9 Brownfields Team
                     (415) 972-3091
                     EPA Region 9 Brownfields Web site
                     (http://www.epa.gov/region9/bro wnfields)

                     Grant Recipient: City of Gardena,CA
                     (310)217-9533

                     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-09-089
      May 2009

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