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EPA selects Pinellas County for Land Revitalization/One Cleanup Pilot Project

Release Date: 12/17/2003
Contact Information: Laura Niles, EPA Media Relations, (404) 562-8353

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Pinellas County, Florida is one of ten locales in the country to be designated as an Area-Wide Pilot Project under the One Cleanup Program and Land Revitalization Agenda. The designation is in recognition and support of the local efforts to combine redevelopment and environmental restoration as mutual goals. The local focus is on the Cross Bayou Watershed. Pinellas County's Cross Bayou Canal, located in the central portion of the county, encompasses approximately 7,800 acres and connects to Old Tampa Bay on the northeast and Boca Ciega Bay on the southwest. Local officials have recently initiated a watershed management plan to address redevelopment, storm water, and environmental restoration. To provide further support of the local efforts, EPA has also awarded Pinellas County a $38,000.00 grant. The grant will be used to develop a Brownfield component within the Cross Bayou Watershed Management Plan. The Brownfield component will identify properties where real or perceived environmental contamination is hindering redevelopment. By identifying these properties, assessment and remediation strategies can be established to allow for redevelopment. The Land Revitalization Agenda promotes land reuse through cleanup program policies, public-private partnerships and incentives through streamlined implementation of new federal Brownfields legislation. Revitalized property can be used in a variety of productive ways, from public parks and restored wetlands to the construction of community facilities, such as hospitals, housing and recreation centers. The Agenda can help reinvigorate communities, preserve green space and prevent urban and suburban sprawl. The Action Agenda, with its 60-step blueprint for success, outlines processes for establishing partnerships and integrating land reuse into cleanup programs. The One Cleanup Program ensures that resources, activities and results are effectively coordinated and communicated to the public. The program represents EPA's vision of how cleanup programs at all levels of government can be integrated to bring about quick and effective cleanup efforts at the nation's contaminated sites. One Cleanup is a long-term initiative to support ongoing cleanup planning and quality improvement efforts. Major improvements include more consistent and effective cleanups, clear and more useful information about cleanups and better performance measures. For more information on EPA's Land Revitalization Agenda and One Cleanup Programs in Region 4, please visit www.epa.gov/oswer/landrevitalization and www.epa.gov/oswer/onecleanupprogram.