The US EPA's Brownfield Assessment Grant received by the South Bend Brownfield Coalition provides limited funding to assess environmental conditions at sites throughout St. Joseph County. As such, the Coalition's Technical Project Team, comprised of members from St. Joseph County, Mishawaka, and the City of South Bend will guide prioritization efforts, and approve qualifying sites for funding.  The brownfield assessment funds may only be used for environmental assessment (Phase I ESAs, Phase II ESAs, Conceptual Site Modeling, Asbestos Inspections / Surveys, Clandestine Drug Lab assessment, etc.) on qualifying properties. The brownfield assessment grant funds may NOT be used for brownfield remediation (cleanup of contamination). The EPA grant funds may only be used at properties that meet US EPA guidelines for eligibility.  Note:  EPA Eligibility is typically not an issue for Phase I ESAs and Asbestos Inspections. For Phase II ESAs and other investigations that require sampling more strict EPA eligibility rules apply. The method by which a property was acquired, and circumstances related to who may have contributed to the contamination are determining factors in eligibility for a property's owner to receive benefit from the EPA grant funds.  Typically, the eligibility review will examine how the property was acquired, and if a prospective purchaser conducted All Appropriate Inquiry prior to acquisition of the deed for the site. The eligibility requirements differ a bit with regards to the type of contamination that may be presence on a site. Petroleum impacted sites have different eligibility review from sites that may be impacted by other hazardous chemicals and toxic substances. The South Bend Brownfield Coalition will assist interested parties in determining if they and/or their site may be eligible for assessment grant assistance. Email us at Info@BrownfieldCoalition.org to learn more!