^ Brownfields 2010 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet
Placer County, 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
Placer County was selected to receive three brownfields
cleanup grants. The cleanup sites are located in the Snow
Creek wetlands area in Placer County (population
332,920). The median household income in the area is 80
percent of the county median, and 50 percent of residents
in the adjacent Kings Beach community are Latino. Snow
Creek discharges into Lake Tahoe, whose north shore
depends upon tourism which, in turn, is dependent on the
health of the lake and access to it. Cleanup of the sites
will reduce the pollutants transported into the Snow Creek
wetlands, provide a natural wetland treatment area for
stormwater runoff, and help protect sensitive wildlife and
aquatic habitats. It also will provide a contiguous public
wetlands area with adjacent parcels managed by the
California Tahoe Conservancy and the U.S. Forest
Service. The commercial space removed from the Snow
Creek project site will be relocated to an area that can
support and sustain such development, enhancing its
ability to generate jobs and expand the tax base.
Cleanup Grants $600,000 for hazardous
substances
EPA has selected Placer County for three
brownfields cleanup grants. Hazardous substances
grant funds will be used to clean up three areas of
the Snow Creek Restoration Project: the Raw
Materials Storage area, the Batch Mixing area, and
the Settling Pond/Washout area, all at 500 Gun
Club Road, Tahoe Vista. The sites operated as part
of a cement batch plant established about 1948 on
the north shore of Lake Tahoe. The storage area
was used to house chemical additives and a
cement mixing silo. Soil at all three sites is
contaminated with metals and elevated pH levels
from the lime/soda ash compounds used as
additives in cement. Grant funds also will be used
for cleanup and redevelopment planning, and
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 9 Brownfields Team
(213)244-1821
EPA Region 9 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region9/bro wnfields)
Grant Recipient: Placer County,CA
530-581-5217
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-10-165
April 2010
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