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EPA Provides $2 Million to Clean Up and Revitalize Contaminated Properties Across New Jersey; Projects in Camden, Union County, Mercer County and Newark

Release Date: 05/28/2014
Contact Information: John Martin, (212) 637-3662, martin.johnj@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing a total of $2 million to communities in New Jersey to clean up abandoned and contaminated properties. The funding was awarded through the EPA’s Brownfields Program, which helps communities assess, clean up, redevelop and reuse previously contaminated properties. Brownfields are properties with moderate contamination which can threaten environmental quality and public health and can interfere with redevelopment.

“EPA brownfields grants allow abandoned and contaminated sites to be put to good use as parks, new housing and businesses that create jobs and help revitalize communities,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “Not only will these brownfields cleanups produce jobs, they will protect the health of area residents, restore the environment and improve the quality of people’s lives.”

Camden Redevelopment Agency – $600,000
· The Camden Redevelopment Agency will receive $600,000 to clean up Lots 10, 11, and 12 of the Harrison Avenue Landfill on the corner of East State Street and Harrison Avenue. Each of the three lots is part of an 83-acre dump site that was owned by the city from 1952 to 1971. The site is currently vacant and not in active use. The primary contaminants of concern in soil at the site are volatile organic compounds and dieldrin.
· Grant funds will also be used to develop a waterfront habitat cleanup plan and conduct community engagement activities.

Union County – $600,000

$300,000 to assess sites potentially contaminated by hazardous substances
· 12 initial and five follow-up environmental site assessments and community outreach.
$300,000 to assess sites potentially contaminated by petroleum
· 12 initial and seven follow-up environmental site assessments and community outreach.

Mercer County Improvement Authority – $400,000
· The Mercer County Improvement Authority will receive two $200,000 grants to clean up the former Roebling Block 3 facility on Clark Street in Trenton. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to clean up Lot 1.04, while petroleum grant funds will be used to clean up Lot 1.05. The Roebling Block 3 facility closed in 1974 and since that time has either been vacant or underutilized.
· Grant funds will also be used for community engagement activities.

Newark – $400,000
$200,000 to clean up sites with hazardous substances
· Cleanup of the Royal Recovery site at 43-57 Clifton Street. The site is contaminated with mercury, cadmium, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Grant funds also will be used to remove two underground storage tanks and conduct community engagement activities.
$200,000 to clean up site contaminated by petroleum
· Cleanup of the former Lionetti Oil site at 123-131 Riverside Avenue. The site is contaminated with total petroleum hydrocarbons and semi-volatile organic compounds. Grant funds also will be used to remove 10 above-ground storage tanks and conduct community engagement activities.

Since the inception of the EPA’s Brownfields program in 1995, cumulative brownfield program investments have leveraged more than $21 billion from a variety of public and private sources for cleanup and redevelopment activities. This equates to an average of $17.79 leveraged per EPA brownfield dollar expended. These investments have resulted in approximately 93,000 jobs nationwide. These projects demonstrate the positive impact a small investment of federal brownfields funding can have on community revitalization through leveraging jobs, producing clean energy, and providing recreation opportunities for surrounding neighborhoods. The EPA’s Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and others to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields sites.

Additional information on EPA Brownfields activities is available at http://epa.gov/brownfields.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and Facebook at http://facebook.com/eparegion2.

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