Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
COLFAX — The Port of Whitman County is one of many communities in the State of Washington that will receive federal funding to conduct cleanup assessments at former industrial sites known as brownfields.
The Port of Whitman received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify and assess brownfield properties throughout Whitman County in partnership with interested property owners and communities.
The EPA defines a brownfield as a property for which the potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant may complicate expansion, redevelopment, or reuse.
Initial steps by the Port include convening a Brownfields Advisory Committee, engaging with interested property owners, conducting public outreach, and identifying candidate sites.
The target area for Whitman County was selected as Colfax, Rosalia, and LaCrosse.
Priority sites in the county include the vacant 2.5-acre St. Ignatius Hospital property, a 1.9-acre former industrial and equipment storage site, a vacant utility works yard, and a former gas station.
A total of $4,568,689 was awarded to Washington state communities through the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grant (MARC) programs. In 2022, MARC funding to communities in Washington state totaled $1.5 million.
The six other sites receiving funding in the State of Washington are Grays Harbor Council of Governments ($1,000,000), Port of Bremerton ($800,000), Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation ($768,689), Kelso ($500,000), Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium ($500,000), and Tumwater ($500,000).
Olivia Harnack is a Journalist at the Whitman County Gazette. Olivia is enrolled at University of Idaho and is majoring in digital film studies. She serves in the United States Army National Guard and is proud to serve Whitman County.
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