Brownfields 2006 Grant Fact Sheet

Trenton, MI

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 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 GRANT

$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Trenton for a brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to perform five to eight Phase I and six to eight Phase II environmental site assessments, and two to four baseline environmental assessments. Grant funds also will be used to support cleanup and redevelopment planning and community outreach activities.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Trenton was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Located along the Detroit River, ten miles south of the City of Detroit, Trenton (population 19,584) historically was associated with heavy industry, including shipbuilding in the 1800s, steel mills during the two World Wars, and, more recently, automobile manufacturing. With the closings of the steel mills and supporting industries, Trenton is left with abandoned buildings, neglected properties, and closed businesses. At the same time, the city is experiencing a steady decline in its population. Today, Trenton is a divided city. The southern portion of the city contains neighborhoods interspersed with parks and access to the Detroit River, while the northern portion consists almost entirely of industrial properties. Trenton identified at least five high-priority potential brownfields sites that occupy more than 260 acres, approximately 55 percent of developable land within the city. The sites along the Detroit River, an American Heritage River, contaminate the sensitive river habitat and block access to the riverfront. The larger sites on the north side of the city represent eyesores that are visible for miles and pose significant environmental, health, and safety threats to surrounding communities. Redevelopment of north Trenton's industrial brownfields as well as the brownfields in south Trenton will help return valuable properties back to the tax rolls, reduce threats to human health and the ecology of the Detroit River, and improve the appearance and appeal of the city's 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 5 Brownfields Team
312-886-7576
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

Grant Recipient: City of Trenton, MI
734-675-6500

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