Brownfields 2004 Grant Fact Sheet

Black Warrior-Cahaba Rivers Land Trust, Jefferson County, AL

EPA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic development 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, the President 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.

ASSESSMENT GRANT

$200,000 for hazardous substances

EPA has selected the Black Warrior-Cahaba Rivers Land Trust for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to conduct site selection, develop a site inventory, and perform Phase I and II assessments for selected sites along Fivemile Creek. Funds will also be used for community education and outreach activities.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Black Warrior-Cahaba Rivers Land Trust was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The target communities for this project are the municipalities of Birmingham, Brookside, Center Point, Graysville, Fultondale, and Tarrant, which have a combined population of 340,000. All are involved in the Fivemile Creek Greenways Partnership project to improve water quality and recreational opportunities. Many of these communities suffer from high poverty and unemployment rates, and there is a notable lack of open lands available for public access. Several of the brownfields currently being considered for a greenways project contain unknown levels of contamination. Environmental assessments of these properties will help pave the way for creation of new greenways in these communities.

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 at: www.epa.gov/brownfields.

EPA Region 4 Brownfields Team
404-562-8493
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm

Grant Recipient: Black Warrior-Cahaba Rivers Land Trust, AL
205-214-8613

The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.