Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
Sa/7 Pablo, 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 San Pablo was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Located in Contra Costa
County in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Pablo
(population 30,215) has a long history of heavy industry.
The area includes active oil refineries, chemical plants,
steel facilities, and a former shipyard, and is facing
challenges due to a lack of reinvestment in the community
and the national decline in the housing market. San Pablo
is a diverse city, where 64 percent of residents are
minorities. The unemployment rate is 13.7 percent, and
18.1 percent of residents live below the poverty level. The
City Redevelopment Area contains several older
commercial and industrial areas that are designated for
new housing and commercial uses. Within this area, the
city is targeting four corridors for assessments: San Pablo
Avenue, Rumrill Boulevard, Giant Avenue, and 23rd
Street. The target areas include vacant and blighted
buildings, leaking underground storage tanks, and
auto-related facilities. Assessment of brownfields is
expected to determine real or perceived contamination,
facilitate reuse, and advance redevelopment efforts in the
target corridors.
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of San Pablo for two
brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
inventory and prioritize potential brownfields in
four commercial and mixed-use corridors of the
City Redevelopment Area. Grant funds also will
be used to conduct 12 Phase I and 5 Phase II
environmental site assessments, prepare cleanup
plans, and support community outreach activities.
Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct the
same tasks at sites with potential petroleum
contamination.
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 San Pablo,CA
(510)215-3039
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-09-203
May 2009
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