Overview of Brownfields

October 25, 2015

Colette Santasieri, PhD

2015 NADO Annual Training ConferenceEye Sore to Eye Candy

What is a Brownfield?

“Real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.” EPA

estimated 450,000 brownfields in the US

History of Brownfields18th Century – Industrial Revolution:

• Transitioned from predominantly agrarian and rural, to industrial and urban society

• machines, new chemical manufacturing, iron production, factory systems

wastes: buried, dumped,

discharged to waterways

industrial chemicals and wastes: sulfuric acid, soda ash, limes, dyes, wood pulp, animal byproducts

History of Brownfields

19th Century:• Urban populations grew; neighborhoods formed around industry

Wastes: wood preservatives, paints, solvents, coal tar, petroleum products

Still buried, dumped, and discharged to waterways

rendering plants, tanneries, metalworking shops, scrap yards,

ship building

20th Century:

• More chemical plants, petroleum refineries, and munitions industries• Synthetic materials: plastics, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and

pesticides (DDT)

History of Brownfields

More contamination

History of BrownfieldsMid- 1900’s:• Urban exodus; economic shift• industries, factories, warehouses, rail yards, and mills that were once

part of our nation's economic and historic fabric – obsolete, moved • Abandoned industrial sites; soil and water contamination

flaming pollution on the Ohio’s Cuyahoga River

History of Brownfields

1960s: the beginning of a national awakening to the environmental ills perpetrated by industrial America

Smog in many cities

Environmental regulatory framework• The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969• Clear Air Act of 1970• Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972• Superfund or Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980• Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act ("the Brownfields Law"), 2002

Newer Brownfield Sites

Not just the industries of the 19th century…

How Do we Know it’s a Brownfield Site?

Is the site vacant or less productive than it used to be or should be?

Does the site have an industrial past?

Is there knowledge or a perception of environmental contamination?

Ask the Professional!

Why is this site a Brownfield?

Railroad ties (wood treating chemicals: such as Creosote)

Pesticides (to keep tracks clear of vegetation)

Arsenic-laced slag used as railroad bed fill

Brake Fluid / Hydraulic Fluid

PCBs in railroad transformers (used to power locomotives)

Spilled or leaked chemicals

Benefits of Brownfield Cleanup and Redevelopment

Returning contaminated, abandoned, underutilized eye sores to protective use

• Removes health and safety hazards

• Alleviates community fears and worries

• Improves environmental quality

• Removes eye sore; improves community appearances

• Increases property values

• Increases local tax base

• Creates jobs, housing, open space, commercial/retail

• Promotes infill development; reduces sprawl

Environmental, Societal, and Economic Benefits

Lardner’s Park Point / East Coast Greenway, Philadelphia, PA

Cynwyd Heritage Trail, Lower Merion, PA

Reuse Options: Recreation, Greenspace

FedEx Facility, Newark, NJ

Reuse Options: Commercial

Bronx Terminal Market, New York

Reuse Options: Residential

Alexan Cityview, Bayonne, NJ

Redevelopment Options: Mixed Use

Harrison Commons, Harrison, NJ

Reuse Options: Green Energy

Solar Farm, PSE&G, Trenton, NJ

Reuse Options: Public/Government

Camden ECDC School, NJ

Mercer County Criminal Courthouse, Trenton, NJ

Lynchburg, VA

Reuse Options: Urban Farming

Philadelphia, PA

Thank you