I JBt | Brownfields 2010 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet \ Freshwater Land Trust, Birmingham, AL 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 Freshwater Land Trust (FWLT) was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The FWLT serves as an ecological resource custodian on behalf of Jefferson County in central Alabama (population 1,200,000). FWLT is targeting the Village Creek watershed (population 60,357). Village Creek is a stream that flows through the heart of Birmingham, coursing through heavily urbanized areas and emptying into the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River. With the rise of the steel industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, facilities developed along the creek. Residential communities grew around the mills, freight yards, and other industries. Following World War II, many of these operations closed, leaving behind a legacy of contamination. The FWLT has identified about 12 potential brownfield sites totaling 760 acres adjacent to or near the stream. Within the watershed, about 25 percent of the residents live below the poverty level, and 85 percent are minorities. Brownfield assessments will clarify the nature and extent of contamination, which is expected to enable cleanup of sites and attract new business and development to the area. Assessment Grant $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the Freshwater Land Trust for a brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct 10 Phase I and eight Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to inventory and prioritize sites, develop cleanup plans, 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: Freshwater Land Trust,AL 205-226-7906 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-10-185 Protection Agency Response (5105T) April 2010 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (si us ) ------- |