Washington County will be receiving $1.5 million from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for the assessment of brownfields. The county is leading the project that also has Pike County Commission and the Cambridge-Guernsey County Community Improvement Corporation as partners. Pictured is the Muskingum River Industrial Park in the village of Beverly, which is a focus of the brownfield site assessments that will be performed in Washington County. (Photo provided)

The U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that it is awarding more than $6 million to seven projects in Ohio, including $1.5 million to a Washington County-led project, for the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites.

The funds are part of the U.S. EPA’s Brownfields Multipurpose grant, Brownfields Assessment Coalition grant, Brownfields Cleanup Grant and Revolving Loan Fund grant programs and are part of U.S. President Joe Biden’s Invest America agenda, according to a U.S. EPA media release.

According to the U.S. EPA website, a brownfield is a property where expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant and it is estimated there are more than 450,000 brownfield sites in the country.

In a media release issued by Washington County Commissioners they state that the county is the lead on the project and is in partnership with the Pike County Commission and the Cambridge-Guernsey County Community Improvement Corporation. It said the coalition was awarded the $1.5 million for a Brownfields Assessment Coalition grant and that these grants “are designed for multiple entities to partner together on an application to maximize resources and promote strong engagement for brownfield projects.”

The Washington County release said the funds will be utilized to inventory brownfield sites and perform thorough environmental site assessments which are crucial for executing cleanup efforts of brownfield sites.

“Grant funds will be used to inventory sites and conduct a minimum of 25 Phase I and 12 Phase II environmental site assessments,” the U.S. EPA media release said. “Grant funds also will be used to develop a minimum of five cleanup plans and area-wide plans and support community engagement activities.”

The Washington County release said funds will also be used for planning activities to help prepare for the future reuse of the brownfield sites.

According to the U.S. EPA release, the brownfields assessment activities for the Washington-County-led project will focus on the Muskingum River Industrial Park in the village of Beverly, the D.O. Business Hall Center in the City of Cambridge, and the villages of Piketon and Beaver in Pike County.

Priority sites for assessment include a 60-acre former coal-fired power plant, a 140-acre parcel of mine-scarred land, and a former high school.

According to the Southeast Ohio Port Authority’s website, the Muskingum River Industrial Park is owned by the organization and it was the home of an American Electric Power coal-fired power plant that has been demolished.

“These funds will help pave the way for future development projects that can bring new businesses, jobs and housing opportunities to the region,” the Washington County Commissioner release said.

“The initiative underscores the commitment of the commissioners to economic revitalization throughout the county.”

Washington County Commissioner Charlie Schilling shared the news about the grant award at a county commission meeting Thursday morning and said the money “ought to be able to create a good tool for us to better understand our inventory of (brownfield) sites and get them redeveloped.”

Schilling thanked Sunday Creek Horizons – a consulting firm that according to its website offers services to governments, communities and other organizations through advocacy and other services – for bringing the idea of applying to the grant to the commissioners and the county grant department for their work on the grant.

The commissioners are also grateful for the help of the U.S. EPA in assessing brownfield properties, according to the Washington County Commissioners release.

“Turning around these underutilized sites will help change the trajectory of this area, bringing back jobs and people to live in desirable communities that are small, rural, and lack the resources to confront the challenges of redeveloping brownfields on their own,” the release said.

Ohio EPA Director Anne Vogel said in the U.S. EPA’s media release that funding complements the Ohio EPA’s brownfields program.

“During Gov. (Mike) DeWine’s administration, Ohio has become a national leader when it comes to brownfield redevelopment,” Vogel said in the release. ”

(The) Ohio EPA has provided millions of dollars to conduct more than 560 Targeted Brownfield Assessment projects in 73 counties, with 270 of those being completed in the last five years.

We appreciate the partnership of the US EPA to help seven more Ohio communities investigate former industrial sites and set them on the path towards clean up and revitalization.”