SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 12, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $3.9 million to Salt Lake County to help clean up and redevelop contaminated properties.
Through the Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund, the county is able to issue low- or no-interest loans to public or private property owners who meet allows the EPA’s requirements for assistance with contaminated sites.
“We’re grateful for the EPA’s substantial investment in Salt Lake County,” Mayor Jenny Wilson said in a news release Thursday. “It expands our ability to effectively leverage the Revolving Loan Fund and make a difference.”
Brownfields are properties with contamination that hinder development or redevelopment, such as former auto repair shops or dry cleaners, and properties near old smelters, railroad lines or mines.
“With our community’s history of industrial and mining work, there’s no shortage of properties that could use this EPA money for cleanup efforts,” Kersten Swinyard, program manager for the Wasatch Brownfields Coalition and Salt Lake County senior economic development manager, said in the news release. “We’ll use this money to accelerate redevelopment on those contaminated properties and make our cities safer and cleaner for everyone.”
The funds are expected to assist with cleanup of at least 10 properties in the next three to five years.
“This award will set up Salt Lake County to further environmental justice in our underserved communities for years to come,” Wilson said. “All our neighborhoods deserve to live in healthy environments with the promise of an equitable economic future.”
Property owners interested in financial assistance to clean up contaminated properties can visit slco.to/brownfields or contact Swinyard at kswinyard@slco.org for more information.
