Brownfields 2004 Grant Fact Sheet

Summit County, CO

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.

CLEANUP GRANT

$195,000 for hazardous substances

EPA has selected Summit County for a brownfields cleanup grant. The cleanup grant will target the abandoned Shoe Basin Mine in the Peru Creek Basin. The mine, which had been mined for gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc, has been inactive since 1929.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

Summit County was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. Of Summit County's 24,225 residents, 2,939 live in the Snake River Basin, which includes Peru Creek. The mine is one of five priority sites identified after Summit County completed assessments of more than 250 mined sites in the Peru Creek Basin. The county is working with the community-wide Snake River Watershed Task Force to improve water quality and protect open space in the region. Once cleaned up, the property will be used as a trailhead to the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, a parking lot, and back country interpretive area. Revitalization of the Shoe Basin Mine will improve and restore the natural ecosystem, preserve scenic open space, and enhance recreational opportunities in the area.

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 8 Brownfields Team
303-312-6803
http://www.epa.gov/region08/land_waste/bfhome/bfhome.html

Grant Recipient: Summit County, CO
970-668-4067

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