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  1. Home
  2. Brownfields
  3. Supporting Communities

Understanding Brownfields

What might brownfields look like in your community? What you can do about them?

The following fact sheets provide a simple and visual introduction to brownfields, including:

  • the process of assessing brownfield sites;
  • where they may be found; 
  • frequently reported contaminants and ways exposures may occur; 
  • common cleanup methods; and,
  • future reuses of cleaned brownfields. 

These fact sheets can support the outreach efforts of community organizations and local leaders to identify, address, and clean up brownfield sites so they can be safely reused in ways that meet community needs and contaminant threats to public health and the environment can be reduced. 

  • Assessing Brownfield Sites (pdf) (157.99 KB)
  • Evaluación de Sitios Brownfield (pdf) (163.24 KB)
  • Past Property Uses May Result in a Brownfield Site (pdf) (208.99 KB, 560-F-19-006)
  • Los Usos Pasados de las Propiedades Pueden Resultar en Sitio Brownfield (pdf) (317.37 KB)
  • Environmental Contaminants Often Found at Brownfield Sites (pdf) (683.77 KB, February 2025)
  • Contaminantes ambientales que suelen estar presentes en sitios de brownfields (pdf) (657.37 KB)
  • Cleaning Up Brownfield Sites (pdf) (185.9 KB, September 2019, EPA 560F19181)
  • Limpieza de Sitios Brownfield (pdf) (240.98 KB)
  • Reuse Possibilities for Brownfield Sites (pdf) (169.97 KB, September 2019, EPA 560F19182)
  • Posibilidades de Reutilización para los Sitios Brownfield (pdf) (346.07 KB)

Brownfields

  • About
    • Accomplishments
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Program History
    • Contact Us
    • Laws & Regulations
      • All Appropriate Inquiries
      • Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: A Historic Investment in Brownfields
      • Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act
      • Summary of the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act
  • Grants and Funding
    • Types of Funding
    • Brownfields Job Training Grants
      • Interested in Applying for Brownfields Job Training Funding?
      • Frequently Asked Questions About Brownfields Job Training (JT) Grants
      • List of Eligible and Ineligible Brownfield Job Training Courses
      • Technical Assistance Resources
      • Technical Assistance Inquiry Form
      • Job Training Grants Professional Learning Community
      • Job Training Grants Webinars
      • Job Training Program Contacts
    • Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grants)
    • MARC Grant Application Resources
      • Tips on How to Get Started Early on Preparing Your Brownfields MARC Grant Application
      • Frequently Asked Questions About Multipurpose, Assessment, RLF, and Cleanup Grants
      • Programmatic Requirements for Brownfield Grants
    • Program & Funding Resources
      • EPA-Recommended Mapping Tools
    • Eligibility
      • Eligible Planning Activities
      • Information on Sites Eligible for Brownfields Funding under CERCLA § 104(k)
    • Current & Upcoming Funding Opportunities
      • Tips for Submitting Brownfields Grant Applications Through Grants.gov
    • Past Funding Opportunities
    • Brownfields Grant Fact Sheet Search
  • Technical Assistance
    • Technical Assistance to Brownfields Communities (TAB) Program
    • Nationwide Brownfields Technical Assistance Providers
    • Targeted Brownfields Assessment
    • Land Revitalization Technical Assistance
    • CERCLA Section 128(a) Technical Assistance Grants ("TAG")
  • Brownfields Newsroom
  • Land Revitalization
  • Brownfields Near You
    • State and Tribal Brownfields Response Programs
    • Brownfields Contacts in EPA Regional Offices
    • Region 1
      • EPA, State & Tribal Contacts in New England
      • Funding History
      • Grantee Forms in New England
      • Program Information in New England
      • Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBAs)
    • Region 2
    • Region 3
      • Contact List
      • Success Stories
      • Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBAs) - Eligibility
      • Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBAs) - How to Apply Criteria
    • Region 4
      • Region 4 Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) Tool Box
      • Regional Conferences
      • Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBAs)
    • Region 5
      • Contact List
    • Region 6
      • Contact List
      • Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBAs)
      • Targeted Brownfields Assessment Brochure
      • Targeted Brownfields Assessment Form and Consent for Access to Property
    • Region 7
      • Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBAs)
      • FY 2025 ARC Grant Guidelines in Region 7
    • Region 8
      • Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBAs)
      • The Western Brownfields Wire (WBWire)
    • Region 9
      • Factsheets
      • Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBAs)
      • Vacant to Vibrant, Land Renewal
    • Region 10
      • Contact List
      • Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBAs)
  • Supporting Communities
    • Understanding Brownfields
    • Environmental Contamination at Brownfield Sites
    • Public Health
    • Relevant Federal Programs
    • Small and Rural Communities
    • Nonprofit Involvement in Brownfields Reuse
    • Tribal Nations
    • Land Banks and Brownfields
    • Urban Agriculture
      • Frequent Questions about Brownfields and Urban Agriculture
      • Resources about Brownfields and Urban Agriculture
      • Steps to Creating a Community Garden or Expand Urban Agriculture at a Brownfields Site
    • Taking Photos, Audio & Video for Your Brownfields Projects
  • Success Stories
  • Grant Recipient Reporting
    • Key Terms
    • ACRES Frequently Asked Questions
    • ACRES Training, Tips and Tools
      • Online ACRES Training Schedule for Brownfields Grantees
Contact Us about Brownfields
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on May 9, 2025
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