Newsroom
Valley Gets $1 Million to Clean Brownfields
Community News
April 21, 2010
The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation has received a $1 million government grant to continue cleaning up brownfields in the region.
LVEDC will use the grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to cover consulting work, soil and groundwater testing and cleanup at old industrial properties.
''This is enough to do meaningful environmental assessments on 20 to 30 sites,'' Holly Edinger, coordinator of the corporation's Lehigh Valley Land Recycling Initiative, said in a news release Monday. ''When it comes to redevelopment in the Valley this is a game changer.''
Possible sites to receive support include Neuweiler Brewery on the Allentown waterfront, the Black Diamond Building in Easton, the former municipal incinerator in Bangor, and Thomas Iron Works in Hellertown, Edinger said.
LVEDC was one of six agencies nationwide to receive a $1 million EPA coalition grant, the corporation said.
''Being selected is a testament to the counties' commitment to this effort and the long-term success LVLRI has had,'' Edinger said.
The recycling initiative is funded primarily by Lehigh and Northampton counties.
LVEDC has been awarded four EPA assessment grants in the past, each for $200,000, the corporation said.