Politics & Government

Stratford Gets Another $400K for Its Contaminated Properties

Town announces the awarding of another $400,000 in assessment grants for brownfields, in the following press release.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that the town of Stratford has been awarded $400,000 in brownfields assessment grants that will help the town and private partners redevelop contaminated properties, boost the local economy, create jobs and protect public health.

Stratford was previously awarded $400,000 on Brownfield assessment funding in 2011. (See related Patch story.)

“This grant will be used to help properly identify contaminated sites in Stratford that may be eligible for cleanup funds, as we continue to work to get these properties back in productive use again,” said Mayor John A. Harkins.

“Brownfields identification and remediation is a key portion of economic development efforts here in Stratford. I’d like to thank the EPA for recognizing the need for this funding in our community.”

“EPA’s brownfields money has proven to be an important catalyst for local communities to get under-utilized properties assessed and cleaned up, and back into productive use,” EPA Region 1 Administrator Curt Spalding said in a press release.

Spalding continued, “This grant money will help reclaim sites containing hazardous substances, petroleum products and other abandoned industrial and commercial properties. Cleaning and revitalizing contaminated sites helps create jobs, provides a solid foundation for a community to create new businesses and neighborhood centers, and makes our environment cleaner and our communities healthier.”

According to the EPA, there are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated sites in the United States. A 2011 pilot study indicated brownfields site redevelopment increases location efficiency, which means that residents live closer to where they work and play reducing their commute times and greenhouse gas emissions. EPA’s preliminary research has also shown that redeveloping brownfield sites results in an efficient reuse of existing infrastructure and decreasing instances of storm-water runoff.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here