SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah was selected to receive $2 million in grants to revitalize local lands, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday.

The Brownfields Grants are awarded nationally by the EPA, focusing on protecting the environment and public health, the EPA said in a release.

The EPA recognized the university’s work identifying “harmful contamination on the property” of the SLC Station Center, “such as arsenic and volatile organic compounds.” Now, the university plans to focus on cleaning the soil and contaminated groundwater.

“The Brownfields program is about turning opportunity into action, and the University of Utah has done exactly that,” Cyrus Western, region 8 administrator, said in a release. “This funding is a smart use of resources that reflects our commitment to both economic growth and environmental responsibility.”

The university’s plans reportedly align with Salt Lake City’s Community Revitalization Agency’s Rio Grande Plan, which aims to create railroad tracks underground and return service to the Rio Grande Depot, which was the city’s main rail hub until 1999.

With the federal funding, the University of Utah can now continue assessing Utah’s environmental health while working towards aiding the economy.

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