Aiken County, SC 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 $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected Aiken County to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to conduct community outreach, perform Phase I and II site assessments, conduct health monitoring activities for surrounding communities, and develop cleanup and reuse plans at a 22-acre abandoned, burned textile mill property. COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION Aiken County was selected for a brownfields assessment grant. Aiken County (population 143,905), located in western South Carolina along the Savannah River, was home to many textile plants and industries involved in fabric production for 150 years. Today, most of the mills have closed their doors, leaving behind blighted, abandoned properties and an aging, low-income population. The target site, in Clearwater (population 4,199), currently consists of piles of building debris and materials containing asbestos. Surface water sampling indicates the presence of heavy metals on the site. More than 19 percent of the residents in the census tract around the target site live below the poverty level. Almost 20 percent of the Clearwater population is minority, and more than 38 percent of residents are over 50. Aiken County's options for reuse of the site include senior housing, affordable housing for families, and open space. The county hopes that this project will serve as a model for redevelopment and community involvement for other former mill towns in the area. 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 4 Brownfields Team
404-562-8493
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm Grant Recipient: Aiken County, SC
803-642-2012 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. |
