Collaboration and Partnerships

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

Maple Beach Brownfields Project
EPA Region 3 - Philadelphia

Geographic location or area of activity: Maple Beach, Bristol Township, Bucks County, PA

Description of activity: On November 30, 2007, the Region 3 Brownfields Program convened a meeting to bring together all stakeholders, regulatory agencies and elected representatives from all levels of government to explore the redevelopment of an area known as Maple Beach, Bristol Township, Bucks County, PA. This property is currently owned by Rohm and Haas Company.

Maple Beach encompasses 300 acres on the Delaware River waterfront owned by the Rohm & Haas Company. It is protected from the 100 year flood by an earthen levee constructed decades ago. The Bucks County Redevelopment Authority (BCRDA) is interested in redeveloping Maple Beach, in accordance with its 30 mile Delaware River Waterfront Revitalization Plan for public access and greenway along the river, and commercial and industrial uses inland.

To protect this area and the redevelopment which occurs, the Authority would like to raise the property level behind the levee to prevent the risk and impact of a potential New Orleans/Katrina breach scenario. Towards that end, it is interested in the beneficial use Delaware River dredge material. An estimated one to three million cubic yards of material would be required. This material must be tested and determined to meet contamination standards consistent with state disposal permitting, as well as Brownfields risk based standards.

The interests of the parties are many and specific and all must be met for any aspect of the project to go forward. Rohm and Haas must be able to continue to meet the requirements of its RCRA Corrective Action Consent Order, BCRDA must be able to move ahead with redevelopment, US Army Corps of Engineers must be able to maintain the shipping channel and appropriately place its dredge material, all State and Federal permit standards must be met with the beneficial reuse, and Brownfields requirements for protection of human health and the environment, and opportunities for public participation must be provided.

The EPA Headquarters Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation
Technology Integration and Information Branch presented an overview of its innovative approach to developing time and cost sensitive sampling plans to generate meaningful and reliable analytical data for this type of situation.

At this meeting all agreed to continue exploration of the beneficial reuse of dredge material and to apply the EPA TRIAD approach to development of a sampling and analysis plan for the testing of the dredge material prior to placement at Maple Beach.

Interagency partners: EPA Region 3, EPA HQ, US Army Corps of Engineers, PA - DEP and various other federal, state, county and local agencies.

Local partners: Rohm and Haas Company, Bucks County Redevelopment Authority, Bucks County Planning Commission and Bristol Township Council

Activity URLs: https://www.epa.gov/tio/char.htm, http://www.bcrda.com/frames6.html, http://www.bcrda.com/pdf/Final-Waterfront-Plan.pdf and
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Maple+Beach,+Bristol,+PA,+United+States+of+America&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title

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