Sens. Ossoff, Rev. Warnock Delivering Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding to Protect Columbus Families from Hazardous Substances – U.S. Senator for Georgia Jon Ossoff

Columbus, Ga. — U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff today announced new resources through the bipartisan infrastructure law to protect Columbus families from hazardous materials.

Today, Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock announced they are delivering $1 million through the bipartisan infrastructure law to help expedite the cleanup of hazardous materials.

The Columbus Consolidated Government will receive $1 million through the bipartisan infrastructure law to conduct environmental site assessments, develop an inventory of brownfield sites, and conduct community engagement and reuse planning activities.

“Above all this is about our communities’ health. No family in Columbus should live in fear of contaminants in their communities,” Sen. Ossoff said.  “That’s why Senator Warnock and I are delivering these historic public health and environmental cleanup efforts across the Chattahoochee Valley through the bipartisan infrastructure law.”

“Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that Senator Ossoff and I championed, we are announcing historic investments that will clean up former industrial sites dealing with environmental contamination,” said Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock. “As a voice for Georgia in the Senate I’m committed to environmental justice, and I’m so proud to see these funds flow to critical projects in our state that are going to promote better health, a cleaner environment, and better outcomes for hardworking Georgians.”

The bipartisan infrastructure law funding will be used to conduct environmental site assessments and prepare revitalization plans. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), grant funds will be used to clean-up the Bradley Circle Properties around:

1. 2838 Bradley Circle
2. 2 27th Street
3. 5 27th Street
4. 9 27th Street
5. 2711 1st Avenue
6. 2715 1st Avenue
7. 2719 1st Avenue
8. 2805 1st Avenue

According to the EPA, the site was previously an unregulated landfill used by textile mills to dump textile waste and is contaminated.

Assessment activities will focus on the Winterfield Center and the Southside Industrial Park. The target area for this project includes Columbus’s Southside, Liberty District, Midtown, and Mill District areas.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), people living near “brownfield” sites may be exposed to hazardous substances by drinking groundwater impacted by the site, through exposure to contaminants in the air, or by walking on the site itself — leading to long-term environmental and public health risks.

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