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Fulfilling the Promise of Earth Day (Continued)
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Creating Economic Opportunities in Massachusetts
The Industri-Plex site in Woburn, Massachusetts is one illustration of what can happen when partnerships are formed among the community, State, EPA, and the private sector. Industri-Plex is a 245-acre industrial park located 12 miles north of Boston along the heavily-traveled Interstate-93 corridor. Since 1853, it had been the home of various chemical manufacturing operations, including the manufacture of glue from raw animal hides and chrome-tanned hide wastes. These operations caused the soils and the ground water to become contaminated with elevated levels of metals, such as arsenic, lead, and chromium.
Industrial activities ceased at the site in 1969, and the property was sold for development. In the late 1970s, the developer unearthed animal hides, which emitted odors that smelled like rotten eggs. Because of community protest, development activities ceased at the site in 1980 and the Federal government became involved. The site was placed on the first NPL in 1983.
Because of innovative thinking and flexibility, a site that was once the subject of community unrest has been transformed into a center of community pride. When the Federal government settled with the PRPs in 1989, two Trusts were formed among EPA, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the City of Woburn, and 24 current and former landowners. The Trusts facilitated the cleanup of the site and its eventual redevelopment.
The many partners were committed to making the Industri-Plex site both safe and economically viable. Lines of communication were kept open, and ways to resolve normally difficult problems were found. Today, this former toxic wasteland has been cleaned up and redeveloped for the following uses:
- Regional Transportation Center -- State agencies have developed a 36-acre transportation facility that can accommodate 2,400 parking spaces for commuter train service into Boston, a Park and Ride bus service, and shuttle service to Logan Airport.
- Commercial and retail district -- A Target department store has been constructed, along with 750,000 square feet of office and hotel space.
- New highway links -- A new highway interchange between I-93 and I-95 eases severe regional traffic congestion and provides access to new businesses. Additionally, the main thoroughfare through the site has been improved and extended.
Cleaning up Industri-Plex has been good for the environment, but it is also a boon to the local economy. The new developments at Industri-Plex now provide as many as 4,300 permanent jobs, approximately $147 million in annual income associated with those jobs, and a $4.6 million potential increase in residential property values within two miles of the site.
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Renewal of Waterfront Property in New York In the City of Glen Cove, New York, 146 acres of underused, contaminated land lay idle along the city's waterfront district. This waterfront area in Glen Cove has been the hub of industrial activity since the mid-1800s. Many heavy industrial and manufacturing uses have since ceased, vacating many properties. Because of liability concerns associated with the Superfund law, redevelopment of this prime real estate had not occurred. However in 1993, with the launching of the Brownfields Initiative, new innovative approaches provided new hope for the future of this property, and hundreds like it around the country. With the aid of Federal money facilitating reuse, the City of Glen Cove is cleaning up and redeveloping this brownfields site. Important partnerships among Federal, State, and local agencies (in collaboration with environmental, business, and community groups) have directed redevelopment. It is estimated that, once redevelopment is complete, Glen Cove's waterfront brownfields will result in 1,700 new, full-time jobs at all skill levels, offering new employment opportunities to low- and moderate-income residents. New businesses on the redeveloped sites are expected to gross $200 million in annual sales, with annual tax yields of nearly $10 million. |
Creating a New Wildlife Habitat in Ohio
Superfund -- combined with innovation, communication, and partnerships -- can also lead to new environmental habitats.
The 12-acre Bowers Landfill in Circleville, Ohio, was first operated as a pit for gravel excavation, but it was converted to a municipal solid waste landfill. Later the landfill began accepting industrial wastes, including approximately 7,500 tons of chemical waste.
Disposal practices at the Bowers Landfill frequently consisted of depositing waste directly onto the ground and covering it with soil. Waste also was burned on-site. In 1980, investigations determined that contaminants in the landfill were polluting nearby monitoring wells with volatile organic compounds. In 1983, the site was added to the first NPL.
Partnerships formed quickly once the site was identified as a national priority. The partners included EPA, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Ohio Division of Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the local community. Each partner played a crucial role in the planning and design of the cleanup. In 1985, the Bowers Landfill Information Committee was formed, providing the surrounding community with an opportunity to become involved with the daily activities of the site. These partnerships facilitated communication, which in turn fostered numerous positive economic and social impacts for the local community.
Cleanup of the Bowers Landfill required many creative innovations. For example, EPA and the State of Ohio decided that they needed to do something to protect the newly-capped landfill from floodwaters that frequently inundate the land along the Scioto River. The site's location near the river made it ideal for creating wetlands.
This innovative and cost-effective use of the land not only controls flooding, but benefits the surrounding ecosystem. The wetlands are now flourishing, providing a safe habitat for numerous species of plants, birds, and other wildlife.
