The University of Illinois is getting a $130,000 federal grant to clean up and redevelop contaminated sites in southern Cook County.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced the award Thursday. The money comes from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The University of Illinois will use this funding to coordinate the assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of so-called brownfields.

Brownfields are properties such as abandoned gas stations where reuse is complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous materials.