^    Brownfields 2011  Cleanup Grant  Fact Sheet
               Canton, ME
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 Town of Canton was selected to receive a
brownfields cleanup grant. Canton (population 1,120) is in
western Maine at the confluence of Anasagunticook Lake
and Whitney Brook, an ideal location for water-generated
power and mill operations. The former Brindis Leather
Company Mill and Whitney Brook Dam site operated for
over 150 years and provided many jobs in the community.
In 1976, the tannery ceased operations and remains
abandoned.  The dam that provided water to the tannery is
now dilapidated, dangerous to operate, and a threat to the
town's water supply. The site also poses environmental
and human health concerns from contamination runoff to
surface water, erosion of contaminated soil, and
groundwater leaching. Canton's unemployment rate is
11.5 percent, and its median household income is below
the national average. After the targeted tannery is cleaned
up, the town plans to construct a new dam, redevelop the
site into greenspace, and provide public access to the lake.
Cleanup of the site is expected to reduce the transport of
contaminated soil to Anasagunticook Lake.
                     Cleanup Grant

                     $200,000 for hazardous substances

                     EPA has selected the Town of Canton for a
                     brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances
                     grant funds will be used to clean up the former
                     Brindis Leather Company Mill and Whitney
                     Brook Dam site located on Routes 108 and 140.
                     The site operated as  a sawmill and tannery from
                     the 1800s through the 1980s. Site soil and
                     groundwater are contaminated with polycyclic
                     aromatic hydrocarbons, metals, and arsenic. Grant
                     funds also will be used for community outreach
                     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 1 Brownfields Team
                     (617)918-1424
                     EPA Region 1 Brownfields Web site
                     (http://www.epa.gov/regionl/bro wnfields)

                     Grant Recipient: Town of Canton,ME
                     207-597-2920

                     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-128-015
       May 2011

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