The city of Somerville will receive $400,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help clean contaminated brownfields sites. The funding is part of more than $16 million for brownfields allotted nationally and $3 million allotted in New England by the EPA.

Somerville has received one of the 27 grants announced nationally, including eight in New England. The funding is targeted to help with cleanup activities and redevelopment projects, and to help create jobs for people living near brownfields sites. These grants will help revitalize former industrial and commercial sites, turning them from problem properties to productive community use.

"This funding for Somerville will help the local economy and will continue to assist in creating and keeping good jobs in the area. With this additional money the city will be able to fund more local cleanup projects, "said Curt Spalding, regional administrator for EPA New England in announcing the grant this week.

"Somerville’s Brownfields Program has allowed us to assess and clean up numerous sites throughout the City, and maximize the potential of our developable land in such a densely populated community. We are extremely thankful to the EPA for this funding, which will further enable us to leverage private sector funding for redevelopment activities as we continue to make Somerville a clean, green, sustainable community for the future of our residents," said Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone.

The seven other grants given in New England included two in Connecticut (totaling $600,000), three in Massachusetts (totaling $1.2 million), and two in Vermont (totaling $800,000) and one in Maine ($400,000).