Brownfields 2004 Grant Fact Sheet

Washington County, ID

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

$85,675 for hazardous substances

EPA has selected Washington County for a brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to perform an environmental assessment of a 0.3-acre drycleaning site in the city of Weiser's commercial district.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

Washington County was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The targeted site is in the City of Weiser. With a population of 4,600, Weiser is the county seat of rural Washington County (population 11,000). Once the commercial hub of the upper Snake River Valley, Weiser is struggling to diversify and create jobs. The city's poverty rate exceeds 15 percent, and the city's per capita income of $16,847 is well below the $24,506 per capita income for Idaho as a whole. The blight of the abandoned drycleaning site detracts from the city's potential to attract new businesses to its commercial district, which is targeted for redevelopment. Also, a tetrachloroethylene groundwater plume that may have originated at the site threatens domestic wells. Assessment of the site will help create a more attractive business environment in the commercial district and address potential health concerns.

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 10 Brownfields Team
206-553-2100
www.epa.gov/r10earth, click on "Superfund,"scroll down to "Related Programs" and click on "Brownfields"

Grant Recipient: Washington County, ID
208-414-2789

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