A \ Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant
i^aj Fact Sheet

Grass Valley, CA
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 Grass Valley was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Grass Valley (population
10,922) is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada
Mountains in northeastern California, and has served as a
commercial center since the gold rush of the 1850s. It was
the site of some of the highest-producing gold and
quartz-bearing mines on the West Coast, as well as
lumber mill operations. There are about 2,660 mining sites
in or near Grass Valley, ranging in size from 50 to 100
acres. Although mining and lumber milling are no longer
significant contributors to the area's economy, the effects
of these operations present environmental and health
challenges. The city's residents have median household
and per capita incomes below the state and national
averages, and almost 63 percent of residents have low or
very low incomes. Assessment of brownfields is expected
to increase public awareness, gain information about
contamination, and provide incentives for site cleanup and
reuse.
Assessment Grant

$200,000 for hazardous substances
(Recovery Act Funding)
$200,000 for petroleum (Recovery Act
Funding)
EPA has selected the City of Grass Valley for two
brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
inventory and prioritize brownfields in five areas:
Downtown, the Idaho-Maryland Road corridor,
East Main Street, Colfax Avenue, and South
Auburn Road. Grand funds also will be used to
conduct up to 12 Phase I and 4 Phase II
environmental site assessments, prepare cleanup
plans, and support community outreach activities.
Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct the
same tasks at sites with potential petroleum
contamination.
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/bro wnfields )
Grant Recipient: City of Grass Valley,CA
(530) 274-4330
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-09-202
Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	May 2009
Washington, DC 20450	Kesponse (si us )

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