A \ Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant
Fact Sheet
Valdosta, GA

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. On
February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed into
law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The
Recovery Act is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our
economy, and create or save millions of jobs. This law
provided stimulus funds to the Brownfields Program to
award grants to evaluate and clean up former industrial
and commercial sites. Under this law, EPA will provide
financial assistance to eligible applicants through four
competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving
loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.
Community Description
The City of Valdosta was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. As one of the fastest
growing communities in the state, Valdosta (population
47,567) is the regional employment and retail hub of
southern Georgia. While early railroad construction
brought significant economic development and new
industry to the area, many of these industries have since
relocated. They left behind unused or underused
properties in questionable environmental condition. The
city estimates that there are more than 100 brownfield
sites in Valdosta, including a former fertilizer company,
dry cleaners, and automobile repair shops. More than 48
percent of residents are African-American, many of whom
live in low-income housing areas. The median household
income in Valdosta is more than 30 percent lower than the
state median, and nearly 25 percent of residents live
below the poverty level. Brownfield assessments will help
the city understand the nature of contamination at sites,
facilitate site cleanup, and increase the marketability of
properties to prospective purchasers and redevelopers.
Assessment Grant

$200,000 for hazardous substances
(Recovery Act Funding)
$200,000 for petroleum (Recovery Act
Funding)
EPA has selected the City of Valdosta for two
brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds
will be used to develop an inventory of sites and
conduct at least 10 Phase I and 5 Phase II
environmental site assessments in the city's Urban
Redevelopment Area. Grant funds also will be
used to conduct cleanup planning and support
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 4 Brownfields Team
(404) 562-8792
EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region4/was te/bf)
Grant Recipient: City of Valdosta,GA
(229) 259-3563
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	c
Environmental	anri Fmpflpn™	EPA 560-F-09-228
Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	May 2009
Washington, DC 20450	Kesponse (si us )

-------