W5 +> c PR0^ Brownfields 2002 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet Kanawha County, West Virginia 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 Kanawha County for a Brownfields Assessment Pilot. Kanawha County is located in the Appalachian region of west central West Virginia. The Pilot targets brownfields in communities within the Kelly's Creek watershed, which includes the towns of Monarch, Shrewsbury, Cedar Grove, Ward, Mammoth, Glasgow, and Riverside. Under the Pilot, the county will work with the Kelly's Creek Communities Association (KCCA) to target potential brownfields in these communities, where the perception of contamination from former coal mining is driving away residents and stifling new business and industrial investment. The county plans to use the West Virginia Abandoned Mine Land Inventory, water quality data provided by the state, community input, and other data sources to prepare an inventory and prioritize sites to be assessed. From the early 1800s, communities within the Kelly's Creek watershed (population 5,870) thrived as the coal mining industry and other businesses provided steady jobs and adequate incomes. The post World War II decline of the area's coal industry and related businesses left the watershed communities with no economic stability and residents with no transferable job skills. Currently, the unemployment rate in these communities averages 11 percent, and per capita income is $9,036. Pilot Snapshot Date of Announcement: 05/01/2002 Amount: $200,000 Profile: Kanawha County, West Virginia. This Pilot will target sites in the 24-square mile Kelly's Creek watershed, which is economically distressed due to declines in the coal industry since World War II 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 3 Brownfields Team (215)814-3129 EPA Region 3 Brownfields Web site (http ://www .epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bf-lr) Grant Recipient: Kanawha County, West Virginia (304) 357-0101 nprppnt rf^ciH^n+c Viplr ¦ +hf=* rvrvA/^rtw Objectives The county's objective is to take the first steps toward making economic recovery feasible in the Kelly's Creek watershed. The Pilot hopes to accomplish this objective by actively engaging the community in a sustained cooperative effort to create an inventory of brownfields throughout the 24-square-mile watershed area; prioritize these sites using measures such as public safety, redevelopment potential, and economic feasibility; conduct Phase I and Phase II assessments on priority sites; and develop a strategic plan for cleanup and redevelopment of the priority sites that is acceptable to all project participants. Activities Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Creating an inventory and prioritizing brownfields in the watershed; • Performing Phase I and Phase II assessments of United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 500-F-02-060 May 02 ------- priority sites; and • Engaging local community members in all phases of the Pilot. 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 c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 500-F-02-060 j. j.- a ancl Emergency .. __ Protection Agency Response (5105T) MaV02 Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- |