Grant to help clean site

PONDERAY — Two miles of Lake Pend Oreille shoreline will be cleaned up under a $650,000 Recovery Act assessment grant.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced the grant late last week, which was bolstered by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The funds will be used to clean up the Black Rock area in Ponderay.

The grant helps revitalize “brownfield” site, which may be contaminated by hazardous chemicals or pollutants, to productive community use, Jackson said.

“Cleaning and reusing contaminated properties provides the catalyst to improving the lives of residents living in or near brownfields communities,” Jackson said. “A revitalized brownfields site reduces threats to human health and the environment, creates green jobs, promotes community involvement, and attracts investment in local neighborhoods.”

“This Brownfields funding will help make redevelopment a reality,” said Michelle Pirzadeh, acting EPA Regional Administrator in Seattle. “We’re excited to join with our public and private partners to revitalize blighted properties, create more green jobs and protect public health in Idaho.”

The Bonner County grant includes a $480,000 Hazardous Substance Assessment and $170,000 Petroleum Assessment. The grant will be used to perform environmental site assessments for hazardous contamination, and to conduct soil, groundwater and surface water sampling, all aimed at supporting redevelopment along a two-mile stretch of Lake Pend Oreille shoreline.

The communities of Ponderay, Sandpoint, Kootenai and Bonner County have formed a coalition to undertake the project.