Federal Grant Aimed At Cleaning Potentially Hazardous Sites In East Austin [VIDEO]

EAST AUSTIN, TX -- City officials on Monday released more details into an $820,000 grant awarded in May to help rid East Austin of contaminated land that could potentially cause environmental contamination.

The Environmental Protection Agency grant will be administered by the Austin Brownfields Revitalization Office, according to a city advisory.

Brownfields are “abandoned, idle or underutilized properties where revitalization is hindered by real or perceived environmental contamination,” according to city officials. Hundreds of such sites have been identified in East Austin stemming from the 1928 Koch and Fowler City Plan during an era of weak zoning laws that allowed a buildup of industrial facilities in that part of the city.

A video explaining brownfields was posted to the city's website in an attempt to make the issue more accessible to the public.

“We are honored to be selected for this highly competitive grant and are excited about this opportunity!" Austin Resource Recovery Director Bob Gedert said in a prepared statement posted on the municipal website. "This new funding source can be used to clean up contaminated properties so they can be redeveloped into parks, playgrounds, affordable housing and many other community projects.”

Grant funds can be loaned to public or private entities developing property aimed at providing a benefit to the public. Such loans will be available as early as December, city officials said.

Interested property owners or prospective purchasers who have discovered contamination at a site should apply for a brownfields cleanup loan online at AustinTexas.gov/Brownfields or by contacting Christine Whitney at (512) 974-6085 for more information.

Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup (ARC) grants are awarded to communities that are under-served and economically disadvantaged, including neighborhoods where environmental cleanup and new jobs. The local grant -- part of a $55 million package benefiting 131 communities nationwide -- was announced by the EPA in May, as Patch reported at the time.