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U.S. EPA awards Anaheim $200,000 to assess hazardous substances contamination: Brownfields grant will help City expand Ross Park

Release Date: 06/10/2008
Contact Information: Francisco Arcaute, (213) 244-1815, cell (213) 798-1404, arcaute.francisco@epa.gov

LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today awarded a $200,000 Brownfields grant to the City of Anaheim, Calif., to assess possible contamination at a vacant and blighted industrial location, the City’s first step towards the proposed expansion of Betsy Ross Park.

Located at the corner of Santa Ana and Hessel streets, the former Home Oil Company site will be investigated for any residual herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers. Once the site is clear of contaminants, it will become an extension of Ross Park, which serves the children of nearby Betsy Ross Elementary School as well as residents of nearby local neighborhoods.

"Assessment of the former Home Oil Company site in Anaheim, made possible through EPA Brownfield funding, will ultimately provide Anaheim residents with much needed recreation area," said Wayne Nastri, Regional Administrator for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. "Anaheim's use of EPA's Brownfield grants demonstrates how the program can help transform underutilized properties into community assets."

“Our community has long wanted to expand Ross Park,” said Curt Pringle, Mayor of Anaheim. “EPA’s financial commitment will allow us to achieve that goal and provide the neighborhood with additional open space and recreational opportunities. We’re pleased to accept this new funding, which will be used to convert this land to a new, clean park.”

The EPA's Brownfields program encourages turning America's estimated 450,000 problem properties to productive community use. Since the beginning of the Brownfields program, the EPA has awarded 883 assessment grants totaling $225.4 million, 202 revolving loan fund grants totaling $186.7 million, and 238 cleanup grants totaling $42.7 million.

In addition to industrial and commercial redevelopment, Brownfields approaches have included the conversion of industrial waterfronts to river-front parks, landfills to golf courses, rail corridors to recreational trails, and gas stations to housing.

EPA's Brownfields assistance has leveraged more than $8.2 billion in private investment and helped create 37,525 jobs, resulting in the assessment of 8,374 properties and the cleanup of 93 properties.

For more information on the grant recipients, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields

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