/ D \ Brownfields 2000 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet
1^1^ J Gila River indian Community, AZ
EPA Brownfields Initiative
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. On
January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into
law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields
Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields 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.
Background
EPA has selected the Gila River Indian Community for a
Brownfields Pilot. The Gila River Indian Community is a
federally recognized tribe located in southcentral
Arizona. The reservation encompasses 640 square miles,
spanning across both Maricopa and Pinal counties. The
reservation is the fourth most populous Indian
reservation in the United States, including approximately
21,000 tribal members. The tribal population currently
experiences a 31 percent unemployment rate, with 22
percent of tribal members living below the poverty line.
The reservation is bordered to the north by the City of
Phoenix and to the east by a significant growth corridor
linking the City of Phoenix and the Town of Coolidge.
The Pilot will target the Blackwater Industrial Park
because of its proximity to this major growth corridor.
The Blackwater Industrial Park has three abandoned
sites-a former explosive manufacturing plant, a former
furniture resin manufacturing plant, and a used tire
storage facility-all of which are perceived to have
environmental contamination.
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 05/01/2000
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Gila River Indian Community Pilot will
target brownfields in the Blackwater Industrial Park
site.
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/brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Gila River Indian Community,AZ
(520) 562-2234 ext 225
Objectives
The purpose of the Pilot will be to help ensure that the
Gila River Indian Community will be included within
the area's broader economic growth initiatives. The Pilot
will help prepare for the revitalization of the Blackwater
Industrial Park. The project strategy centers on
effectively combining the interests and resources of all
parties to logically proceed from the presently unused or
abandoned sites to offering the sites as locations for new
businesses or other economic activities.
Activities
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
•	Conducting Phase I and Phase II environmental
site assessments of brownfields within the
Blackwater Industrial Park;
•	Preparing a site restoration plan; and
•	Conducting community involvement activities to
develop possible reuse scenarios.
United States	c
Environmental	anri Fmpflpn™	EPA 500-F-00-097
nil- a	ancl Emergency	.. __
Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	MaV00
Washington, DC 20450	^ v '

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The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet
been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this
fact sheet are subject to change.
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
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
Solid Waste
EPA 500-F-00-097
May 00

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