CANTON — The town has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up the old tannery site close to where the new dam will be constructed.

Scotty Kilbreth, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, received the notification from David R. Lloyd, director of the Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization.

Lloyd complimented the town on an outstanding grant proposal and expressed appreciation for the tremendous commitment of time and energy that went into it.

The grant comes through the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002, Lloyd said. The act works to help states and communities around the country clean up contaminated industrial sites known as brownfields, according to the letter from Lloyd.

The Brindis Leather Co. operated a tannery at the town site until 1976 when the mill closed and put many people out of jobs.

In 2007 the owner of the dam on Whitney Brook was ordered to open the dam gates because of safety issues. A $500,000 grant has been awarded to the town to build a new dam.

After samplings from the site showed areas of contaminants, the town applied for a brownfield cleanup grant so the area next to the new dam could be developed.

The town is considering several options for the site after the cleanup has been completed.