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Brownfields
2006 Assessment
Grant
Fact Sheet
Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Wichita, KS
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 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 petroleum
EPA has selected the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for a brownfields assessment grant. Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct Phase I and II environmental site assessments on properties in Wichita's 21st Street North Corridor and community outreach and coordination.
Community Description
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. On behalf of Wichita (population 344,284) located in south central Kansas, the state will help assess brownfields in a project area that includes a significant number of Wichita's older industrial sites, including a refinery. Previous inventories have identified over 100 parcels in the project area. The aircraft manufacturing sector was Wichita's economic engine until 1998 when manufacturing dramatically slowed. Between 2001 and 2003, over 14,000 manufacturing jobs were lost in the Wichita area, and in one year alone, the city's unemployment rate rose 54 percent. In 2000, the median family income was 31 percent less than other Wichita areas. Minorities, predominantly Hispanics, represent 59 percent of the population in the project area. Exiting businesses have left behind vacant and underused properties. Although environmental conditions on many sites are unknown, trichloroethene, vinyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride, benzene, and other volatile organic compounds are known to be present on many sites. After existing contamination is addressed, these sites will be reused for light industry, a transportation hub, and open space that supports local cultural activities. Brownfields redevelopment will remove environmental hazards, promote smart growth, create greenspace, generate new jobs, and help retain population.
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 (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).
EPA Region 7 Brownfields Team
(800) 223-0425
EPA Region 7 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Kansas Department of Health and Environment
(785) 291-3246
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.