EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfield sites. 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. The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002, as amended by the Brownfields Utilization, Investment and Local Development Act of 2018, was passed to help states and communities around the country clean up and revitalize brownfield sites. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through five competitive grant programs: Multipurpose Grants, 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.
$500,000
EPA has selected the City of Brillion for a Brownfields Cleanup Grant that will be funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Grant funds will be used to clean up Redevelopment Area 4 of the Brillion Iron Works Redevelopment located at Park Avenue and North Parkway Drive. The 6.3-acre cleanup site was first developed with a 1.5-story machine shop and forge and expanded through the 20th Century to include a grey iron foundry, a ductile iron foundry, a rail yard, a cannery, a milk condensery, a truck scale, and an electrical substation. At its peak in the late 20th Century, Brillion Iron Works employed over 1,000 people and produced up to 1,000 tons of iron per day. The foundry closed in 2016. The site is contaminated with heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and PCBs. Grant funds also will be used to develop a Community Involvement Plan and conduct community engagement activities.