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Brownfields 2008 Grant Fact Sheet
Norwich, CT
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 this 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
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Norwich for a brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to clean up the 26 Shipping Street site on the Thames River. Since the 19th Century, the site was used for various industrial processes such as metal plating, textile manufacturing, and automotive repairs. The soil is contaminated with heavy metals, PCBs, and inorganic compounds.
COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION
The City of Norwich was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. Located in eastern Connecticut, Norwich (population 36,598) was established in the 18th Century. The city thrived in the 18th and 19th Centuries because of its strategic location at the convergence of the Thames, Shetucket, and Yantic Rivers. The city served as a trade and manufacturing center, with textile mills as the area's main enterprise. As manufacturers relocated, mills and factories were abandoned. During the past century, Norwich has experienced a steady economic decline from the loss of high-paying manufacturing jobs and the difficulty of redeveloping contaminated properties. The poverty rate in Norwich is 11.5 percent. Cleanup of the target site is expected to enable the city to reuse existing site buildings to establish a community boating program. Site redevelopment is expected to help the city capitalize on its prime asset for attracting tourism, the Thames River.
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.
EPA Region 1 Brownfields Team
617-918-1424
EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site
Grant Recipient: City of Norwich, CT
860-823-3746
The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The cooperative agreement for the grant has not yet been negotiated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.