Brownfields 2010 Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
               Vandalia, IL
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 Vandalia was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Located in central Illinois,
Vandalia (population 6,975) attracts more than 30,000
tourists a year to the oldest existing state capital building
in the country and other landmarks associated with
Abraham Lincoln's early career as a legislator. Several
brownfields are within view of these historic structures. A
former junkyard, gas stations, and underused commercial
properties line major roadways. The median household
income in the city is more than 33 percent below the
statewide average, and job growth has been stagnant for
several years. The city will focus assessments on
properties near the entrances to the city and in the historic
downtown area. Assessment of brownfields will lead to a
greater understanding of the risks posed to residents and
visitors and is expected to encourage private sector
investments in site cleanup and redevelopment.
                     Assessment Grant

                     $200,000 for petroleum

                     EPA has selected the City of Vandalia for a
                     brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide
                     petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct five
                     Phase I and three Phase II environmental site
                     assessments and  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 5 Brownfields Team
                     (312)886-7576
                     EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
                     (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfiel ds)

                     Grant Recipient: City of Vandalia,IL
                     (618) 322-6521

                     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-10-193
      April 2010

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