EPA awards brownfield grants in Indiana
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The Fort Wayne Redevelopment Authority, the Michiana Area Council of Governments, DeKalb County and the city of Crawfordsville will receive a total of $4.4 million in federal brownfields grants for site assessment and cleanup, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday.
The EPA selected the four organizations in Indiana to receive the funding, part of a $1.5 billion boost to the agency’s brownfields program from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Indiana Finance Authority Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund also will receive a $1 million grant.
“The Great Lakes Region has a rich industrial history that brought with it economic prosperity, but also legacy contamination that stills plagued many of our communities,” EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore said in a news release.
The Fort Wayne Redevelopment Authority will receive $2 million to clean up the former OmniSource south property, an 8-acre site that was developed in the late 1870s as a rail repair yard and between the mid-1950s and 1990s was used for scrap iron metal processing and recycling.
“Being a recipient of this grant will enable us to make the necessary improvements to prepare the North River site for future redevelopment efforts,” Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker said in the release.
The Michiana Area Council of Governments will receive $1.5 million to update a brownfields inventory and conduct more than two dozen environmental site assessments, including properties in Argos, Elkhart, South Bend, Warsaw, and Plymouth. Sites include a 3,300-square-foot former gas station, a 15.9-acre former locomotive repair facility and a 2.6-acre abandoned bulk oil storage facility. Funds also will be used to clean up other sites.
“Our Regional Brownfields Coalition is addressing environmental uncertainty allowing for the redevelopment of sites that would otherwise continue to languish,” Michiana Area Council of Governments Executive Director James Turnwald said. “Our ongoing efforts since 2019 are making a difference, evidenced by housing projects under construction or completed in Elkhart, Goshen, Plymouth, South Bend, and Warsaw,”
DeKalb County will receive $500,000 to conduct 11 environmental site assessments and develop up to 10 cleanup plans. Target areas include Auburn, Butler and Waterloo. Sites include former foundries, vacant commercial buildings, and a former bus garage.
Crawfordsville will receive $400,000 to conduct 11 environmental site assessments and prioritize additional areas for cleanup. The target area is the city’s southeast side, where a former automotive manufacturer, former industrial sites, a former auto repair facility, and a recycling center are.