Brownfields  2010 Assessment Grant Fact  Sheet
               DeKalb County,  IN
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

DeKalb County was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment coalition grant. DeKalb County"s coalition
partners are the Cities of Auburn, Garrett, and Ashley.
DeKalb County (population 41,585) occupies about 362
square miles of rural land  in northeast Indiana along the
Ohio border. The construction of railroad lines and a
boom in vehicle and parts manufacturing in the 1900s
made the  county an important transportation hub. As
employers left the region or downsized, unemployment
rates rose, and many sites  and facilities have been
abandoned or left vacant. Brownfield sites with unknown
environmental conditions  are concentrated around urban
cores and in low-income neighborhoods. DeKalb
County"s  unemployment rate reached 14.2 percent in June
2009.  Brownfield assessments will  allow the coalition to
determine the extent of contamination and cleanup
options. Assessments also are expected to be the first step
toward implementing the county"s Comprehensive Plan
and managed growth approach.
                     Assessment Grant

                     $200,000 for petroleum

                     EPA has selected DeKalb County for a
                     brownfields assessment coalition grant.
                     Community-wide petroleum grant funds will be
                     used to conduct about 14 Phase I and six Phase II
                     environmental site assessments.  Grant funds also
                     will be used to support community outreach
                     activities and develop cleanup plans.
                     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: DeKalb County,IN
                     260-925-1923

                     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-10-194
      April 2010

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