Where the $6 Million Is Going in North Georgia

On September 18, 2026, officials gathered at the Chickamauga Civic Center as EPA Region 4 Administrator Kevin McOmber and U.S. Representative Clay Fuller outlined $6 million in federal Brownfields funding for northwest Georgia. The announcement is part of a larger $13.5 million package of Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment and Cleanup grants the EPA has awarded across the state.

The local allocation is split three ways. The City of Chickamauga will receive $4 million to clean up the former Crystal Springs Print Works site, the largest single project. The Northwest Georgia Regional Commission will receive $1.5 million to assess properties for potential redevelopment, and the Rome-Floyd County Development Authority will receive $500,000 to expand its inventory of brownfield sites and evaluate prospective properties.

McOmber framed the funding as more than environmental remediation, arguing it restores confidence in property, supports economic development and improves quality of life. Fuller, whose district includes the area, said the grants would help communities turn contaminated properties into productive assets. According to the EPA, the Brownfields program has provided more than $3 billion since 1995, leveraging more than $45 billion in cleanup and redevelopment and supporting more than 228,900 jobs.

The Economic Logic Behind Small Brownfields Grants

The Federal-Local Funding Logic

The grants are deliberately front-loaded toward investigation and cleanup rather than direct construction. The $4 million for Chickamauga addresses a known obstacle at a named former industrial site, while the $1.5 million and $500,000 portions pay for assessments that typically precede private investment. EPA data makes the economic case: through fiscal year 2025, the program averaged $19.47 in other investment for each grant dollar. That ratio is the central justification for treating a relatively small federal commitment as a catalyst.

Why Chickamauga and Rome-Floyd Are the Focus

For Chickamauga, the grant is aimed at removing the contamination that keeps the former Crystal Springs Print Works property from being redeveloped. The expected private-sector result is not automatic; the funds lower the early costs and uncertainty that often stop projects before they start. In Rome and Floyd County, the emphasis is on building a larger, better-documented inventory of sites, which local officials can then market to developers with clearer information about environmental conditions.

The partnership structure is also deliberate. Georgia Environmental Protection Division Director Jeff Cown described successful brownfield redevelopment as dependent on pooling federal, state and local resources. That structure matters because assessment and cleanup grants do not by themselves deliver a completed project; they change the risk calculation for the next investor.

What Local Governments and Property Owners Should Watch

Municipalities and property owners in the affected areas can take specific steps as the grants move into implementation:

  • Chickamauga property owners and developers: Track the city's cleanup schedule for the former Crystal Springs Print Works; the site must be cleaned before it can return to productive use.
  • Northwest Georgia local governments: Inquire with the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission about whether parcels in their jurisdictions qualify for assessment under the new $1.5 million allocation.
  • Rome-Floyd County landowners: Contact the Development Authority about potential inclusion in the expanded brownfields inventory, since the $500,000 grant is intended to identify and assess additional prospective properties.