Brownfields Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet

BACKGROUND

EPA has selected Middlesex County for a Brownfields Pilot. The County is located in central New Jersey, and comprises 25 urban, suburban, and small-town municipalities. Historically, the region has been a center for industry and commerce due to its close proximity to major East Coast markets and waterways. However, Middlesex County has seen a significant decline in economic activity in the last 30 years, particularly in the metal processing and petro-chemical industries. The closing of these industries has left behind numerous vacant and potentially contaminated properties, as well as contaminated sediment along stretches of the Arthur Kill waterway, Raritan Bay, and Raritan River.

The Middlesex County Planning Board determined in 1995 that the abandoned and underused properties along these waterways had significant redevelopment potential, yet were hampered by perceived contamination. The County plans to focus Pilot activities on the seven municipalities that lie along these waterways. The impact of brownfields on these communities is dramatic. More than 50% (397 out of 775) of all known contaminated sites in the County are in the seven municipalities targeted for this Pilot. Planned redevelopment efforts include commercial, light industrial, and a mixture of residential and/or recreational development.

OBJECTIVES

The Middlesex County Improvement Authority initiated a Waterfront Reclamation Project (WRP) to address brownfields issues in the targeted communities. The primary objectives of the WRP are to clean up hazardous sites, redevelop underused properties, create jobs and economic opportunities in the area, increase tax revenues, and create increased public access to the waterfront. To help facilitate this project, the Pilot plans to identify, assess, and inventory brownfields sites; create a cleanup and redevelopment plan for WRP use; and foster community involvement through outreach and communication activities.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:

• Identifying, inventorying, and prioritizing potential sites for cleanup and redevelopment;

• Conducting environmental assessments on at least three to five sites with the highest potential for redevelopment, and developing appropriate cleanup plans for those sites, including the use of innovative cleanup technologies;

• Integrating the assessment results into an overall waterfront redevelopment program; and

• Conducting community outreach activities and re-convening a task force comprising representatives of the seven municipalities to serve as an advisory body.

The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.

CONTACTS:

Middlesex County Improvement Authority
(609) 655-1408

Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 2
(212) 637-4314

Visit the EPA Region 2 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/brownfields/

For further information, including specific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/