Brownfields 2009  Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
    ™         Naugatuck, CT
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 Borough of Naugatuck was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Naugatuck (population
31,931) is located along the Naugatuck River in western
Connecticut. Beginning in the  1800s, the borough was a
vibrant manufacturing community and a center of the
worldwide rubber industry. Rubber manufacturing
facilities dominated downtown Naugatuck for almost 150
years. By the end of the 20th century, rubber and other
significant local industries had left the area. This
manufacturing legacy left the borough with aging,
underused brownfields. Half the workforce commutes to
other communities for employment. Naugatuck has the
second lowest median household income and the second
highest unemployment rate in its labor market area. The
borough has created a community-backed redevelopment
plan, known as Renaissance Place, to revitalize its
downtown. Assessment of the downtown area's
brownfields will help the borough identify the cleanup
activities  required to redevelop key properties.
                     Assessment Grant

                     $200,000 for hazardous substances
                     EPA has selected the Borough of Naugatuck for a
                     brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide
                     hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                     perform at least four Phase I and four Phase II
                     environmental site assessments. Grant funds also
                     will be used to conduct cleanup planning.
                     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: Borough of Naugatuck,CT
                     (203) 720-7006

                     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-09-171
      May 2009

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