A new program to identify and develop cleanup plans for dozens of brownfield sites in Walker County seeks community input to identify properties to assess.

Walker County Government will host a town hall meeting to inform residents, property owners and business leaders about what makes a site a brownfield and how to apply to have a site assessed. The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 7, at the Walker County Civic Center, 10052 Highway 27 in Rock Spring.

Information will be shared at the town hall about funding available to conduct a non-intrusive assessment of environmental conditions at a potential brownfield site, and, if needed, develop a plan for cleanup.

Funding for the program comes from a $500,000 grant awarded to Walker County and the cities of Chickamauga, LaFayette and Rossville by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Up to 30 sites will be considered for brownfields assessment during the initial phase of this program. If the site is determined to be a brownfield, a plan for cleanup will be developed to include an evaluation of cleanup alternatives, calculated cleanup costs, and site appropriate remediation and reuse to reduce health and environmental risks.