EPA Awards Chattanooga $4.9 Million To Help Clean Up Polluted Sites

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Chattanooga $4.9 million in funding to tackle brownfields in the city, helping turn contaminated sites into productive economic opportunities. 

The funds consist of two $500,000 grants — one for analysis, one for cleanup — and $3.9 million for Chattanooga’s Revolving Loan Fund, which offers low interest loans for cleanup of brownfield sites. 

The funding will help revitalize polluted properties throughout the city, many of which were once industrial sites that contributed to Chattanooga’s 1960s-era reputation as the “Dirtiest City in America,” and return them to productive use to create homes and jobs. 

“It’s expensive and time-consuming to correct the mistakes of the past that led to parts of our city becoming virtually unusable, but thanks to the tremendous support from the EPA, I’m confident that we’ll be able to work toward turning more of these eyesores into healthy properties that generate economic growth for our community,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. Read more here