Grant Money Available to Help Communities Assess Contaminated Sites

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Grant Money Available to Help Communities Assess Contaminated Sites

NEWS RELEASE - June 14, 2005

(Salt Lake City, Utah) - The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has been awarded a $200,000 EPA Petroleum Brownfields grant to identify and assess petroleum contamination at environmentally challenged sites. DEQ is actively looking for sites throughout Utah to consider for this revitalization effort. Utah communities now have the opportunity to access this grant money to fund environmental assessments of underutilized properties with petroleum contamination.

“Brownfields” is the term used to describe property where reuse or redevelopment is complicated due to known or perceived environmental contamination. These properties are often difficult to revitalize, which can stall economic growth due to fear of liability or a lack of funding to investigate or cleanup.

“This is an excellent opportunity for your community to further economic development, promote environmental protection and support community revitalization,” said Brad Johnson, director of DEQ’s Division of Environmental Response and Remediation.

According to Johnson, many communities in Utah have been left with vacant contaminated land that hinders redevelopment and restoration of a healthy local economy and tax-base. The grant money has the potential to improve a community’s quality of life and leave a legacy of a healthier environment for future generations by cleaning up and redeveloping land into such things as open space, a commercial business or even affordable housing.

“DEQ is proud of the progress already made in transforming underutilized sites to productive use, and we are pleased to use this grant money for the opportunity to continue this effort,” said DEQ environmental scientist Hillary Mason.

This Petroleum Brownfields grant can be used for the following purposes:

Site screening and eligibility evaluation
Coordination and leveraging of available funding
Site assessment
Technical assistance and regulatory oversight
Documentation and reporting of site assessments
Obtaining site closure to help pave the way for redevelopment and beneficial reuse

Does my site quality for assessment grant fund?

For more information on obtaining grant money to renew your community, please contact the DEQ’s Leaking Underground Storage Tank program at 801-536-4100.

Comfort Letters

A letter about the liability of a landowner who purchases petroleum contaminated property after all Underground Storage Tanks have been properly and permanently closed (removed or closed in place).
A letter about the liability of a landowner through whose property petroleum simply migrates from a higher source and whose property makes no contribution to the release.
A letter about the liability of a lender under the Utah Underground Storage Tank Act.

Petroleum Brownfields Programs

1999 Pilots
Aurora, Main Street Abandoned Gas Station (pdf file)

2000 Pilots
Ogden, Polk Avenue Abandoned Gas Station (pdf file)

2001 Pilots
West Salt Lake City Project (pdf file)

2002 Pilots
Salt Lake City, City Front Project (pdf file)

Salt Lake City, Aquarium Project (pdf file)

2005 Projects
Delta, Main Street (pdf file)

Elsinore, corner of Main and Center Street (pdf)

For more information on the Petroleum Brownfields Program, please contact the Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s Leaking Underground Storage Tank program at 801-536-4100.

To find more information on the Petroleum Brownfields Program from EPA go to: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/pilot.htm

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