Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

Council Bluffs, IA

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, 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.

ASSESSMENT GRANTS

$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Council Bluffs for two brownfields assessment grants. Grant funds will be used to conduct Phase I and II environmental site assessments, and plan for the cleanup of sites contaminated with hazardous substances or petroleum in the South Main Brownfields Project Area. Funds will also be used to conduct community outreach activities and a health study of target area residents.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Council Bluffs was selected to receive two assessment grants. Council Bluffs (population 58,268) has been an industrial community since its incorporation in 1853. In recent years, traditional manufacturing operations such as rail yards, lumber yards, foundries, food processing plants, and supporting businesses have closed. The target area is the South Main Brownfields Project Area, which is among the oldest and most deteriorated industrial districts in Council Bluffs. Vacant properties are located in the area, which has seen little new investment. These factors have contributed to reduced property values of the vacant and abandoned industrial buildings and of homes in adjacent neighborhoods. Brownfields also present potential health concerns. The per capita income of residents of the South Main target area is about 18 percent lower than the state average, and 11 percent have annual incomes below the poverty line. The city plans to develop the area for mixed uses, which will generate economic opportunity for those seeking employment. It also is expected to create commercial, retail, and housing alternatives that complement adjacent neighborhoods and contribute to their sustainability. The city also plans to develop responses to the health risks posed to residents.

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 7 Brownfields Team
913-551-7646
http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/brownfields/index.htm

Grant Recipient: City of Council Bluffs, IA
712-328-4629

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