MARIETTA — Buckeye Hills Regional Council has announced three projects in Noble and Hocking counties that have been awarded funding through Ohio’s Brownfield Remediation Program, part of a statewide investment announced Wednesday by Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel and the Ohio Department of Development.

The Ohio Department of Development announced $61 million in grants to support the cleanup and assessment of contaminated properties across 75 counties. The funding includes $45.8 million for 84 cleanup and remediation projects and $15.3 million for 76 assessment projects statewide.

Buckeye Hills Regional Council secured funding for three projects in Noble and Hocking counties, which the organization says continues its commitment to supporting community revitalization and economic development throughout Appalachian Ohio, according to a press release. The funded projects include:

Former Logan Clay Factory – Hocking County

This project will support environmental assessment activities at the former Logan Clay facility in Logan, a vacant industrial pottery and ceramics manufacturing site with a long history of industrial use. Assessment activities will include Phase I and, if warranted, Phase II environmental site assessments to identify contamination associated with historical industrial operations and to evaluate the condition of existing structures that may contain asbestos or lead-based paint.

Former Belle Valley Gas Station – Noble County

This project will remediate petroleum-contaminated soil and groundwater at the site of a former gas station in Belle Valley. Previous assessment work identified contamination associated with underground storage tanks, including petroleum compounds impacting both soil and groundwater. Cleanup activities will include corrective actions, groundwater monitoring, monitoring well abandonment and removal of investigation-derived waste.

Sharon General Store – Noble County

This project will support environmental remediation and demolition activities at the former Sharon General Store property in Noble County. Cleanup activities will include demolition of the contaminated structure, remediation of petroleum-impacted soil, removal of lead-contaminated materials surrounding the building, septic system-related remediation, confirmation sampling and environmental closure. Once complete, the property will be prepared for future development.

“Sites like these do no good when they’re left alone to contaminate the soil and impact the health of our neighborhoods,” said DeWine. “Throughout the past five years, we’ve changed the trajectory of hundreds of properties that once held our communities back, turning long-neglected eyesores into places of possibility.”

Funding awarded through the Brownfield Remediation Program is used to assess and clean up industrial, commercial and institutional brownfield sites that are abandoned, idled or underutilized due to known or potential contamination from hazardous substances or petroleum. Once remediated, these properties can be redeveloped to revitalize neighborhoods, improve environmental conditions and attract new economic development opportunities.