Brownfields 2010 Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
               Manchester, NH
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 Manchester was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Located along the
Merrimack River, Manchester (population 107,006)
played a critical role in the Industrial Revolution, when
textile mills were established in the city in the mid-1800s.
In the early 1900s, the city was home to the largest cotton
mill in the world, which employed 17,000 workers.
Declines in the textile industry shut down many of the
mills, leaving behind several abandoned and underutilized
properties. Manchester contains more than 200 potential
brownfields, many located in the targeted "Squog" and
Gaslight/Warehouse District areas. These sites have
blighted the city's image, discouraged investment, and
decreased property values. Up to 24.5 percent of families
in these communities live in poverty. Brownfield
assessments are expected to facilitate the execution of the
city's Downtown Master Plan for the targeted areas,
which aims to increase private investment, expand the tax
base, and attract job opportunities.
                     Assessment Grants

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

                     EPA has selected the City of Manchester for two
                     brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                     hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                     inventory brownfield sites in the city"s targeted
                     "Squog" and Gaslight/Warehouse District areas
                     and conduct five Phase I and five Phase II
                     environmental site assessments. Petroleum grant
                     funds will be used to inventory sites in the targeted
                     areas and conduct six Phase I and six Phase II
                     environmental site assessments. Grant funds also
                     will be used to conduct community outreach
                     activities and 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: City of Manchester,NH
                     (603) 624-6505

                     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-10-025
      April 2010

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