WASHINGTON, DC – Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation today announced $800,000 in federal funding to help clean up brownfield sites in Providence.  A brownfield site is property where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.

Two Providence organizations – WaterFire Providence and the West Broadway Neighborhood Association -- are among 240 organizations nationwide that will soon receive competitive grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help clean up contaminated land, create jobs, and protect public health.

“This federal funding will help local partners clean up our communities and revitalize these sites to restore them to productive use.  This is a smart federal investment in protecting the health and well-being of residents and the environment, and generating economic growth and strengthening the local economy,” said U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline in a joint statement.

Last year, the delegation helped secure $89.9 million in federal appropriations for the EPA’s Brownfield program, which empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfield sites.

WaterFire Providence will receive three brownfields cleanup grants totaling $600,000.  Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to clean up Parcels A, B, and C of the former Uniroyal U.S. Rubber Plant site, located at 475, 485, and 495 Valley Street in Providence.  The larger site was an integral part of a large industrial complex that was subdivided a number of times over the past 50 years.  It currently consists mostly of paved areas and a loading dock. One of the structures located on the site includes a one-story warehouse building constructed in 1929.  Environmental concerns include the presence of metals, semi-volatile organic compounds, and arsenic. Parcel C also is contaminated with PCBs. Grant funds also will be used to conduct community outreach activities.

The West Broadway Neighborhood Association will receive a $200,000 brownfields cleanup grant.  Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to clean up the former L&L Gas and Service Station site at 1326 Westminster Street. The site was developed prior to 1889 and included two three-story residential structures.  By 1950, fueling stations were located on several portions of the site. It later was used for a gas and service station until 1998. The site is contaminated with inorganic materials, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, metals, and PCBs. Grant funds also will be used for community outreach activities.