News Releases from Region 09

U.S. EPA Awards $200,000 Brownfield Grant for Redevelopment Along L.A. River

19 communities nationwide to share in nearly $4 million

LOS ANGELES – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced an award of $200,000 to the Trust for Public Land to create a redevelopment strategy for the Los Angeles River and Verdugo Wash Confluent Study Area.

The grant will support the Trust for Public Land in working with the community to develop an implementation plan for land redevelopment along the river, including efforts to reintroduce some of the river’s natural features. The work will focus on 280 acres of industrial land near the I-5 and 134 freeways in Glendale.

“We’re delighted to support restoration and redevelopment of the Los Angeles River,” said Alexis Strauss, EPA’s Acting Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Working together, we’ll help the river be a vital element of livable, sustainable communities.”

Key partners working with the Trust for Public Land on this project include the City of Los Angeles, LA RiverWorks, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Friends of the Los Angeles River, Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, and Mia Lehrer and Associates.

Nationwide, EPA selected 19 communities in a competition for approximately $3.8 million in funding to assist with planning for cleanup and reuse of contaminated brownfield sites. Each recipient will receive up to $200,000 to engage their community and conduct planning activities for brownfield site reuse.   

EPA announced the new Brownfields Area-Wide Planning funding at a community event in Norfolk, Virginia. EPA’S program was modeled after New York State’s Brownfields Opportunity Area Program, which was developed by lower income communities to enable them to drive development that meets their needs without displacing their residents. Studies have shown that residential property values near brownfields sites that are cleaned up increased between 5 and 15 percent. Data also show that brownfields cleanups can increase overall property values within a one-mile radius.

More information on the funding recipients: /brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding   

To apply for Brownfields Grants: /brownfields/apply-brownfields-grant-funding

More information on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities: https://www.sustainablecommunities.gov/