Congratulations to the Cities of Camden and Trenton on their EPA Cleanup Grant Awards!

Congratulations to the cities of Camden and Trenton on their EPA Cleanup Grant awards! Both of these awards are part of EPA’s extra funding made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. The EPA Brownfields Program “empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfield sites.

The City of Camden received $1 million for cleanup activities at the Judge Robert B. Johnson Park, located at 723 Carl Miller Boulevard. According to the EPA’s Fact Sheet, “the 14.7-acre cleanup site was a former wetland where historic fill material was used to develop the site in the 1940s and 1950s. The site formerly contained residences and a former junkyard and was also used by a youth football league and neighborhood schools. The now-vacant site is contaminated with semi-volatile organic hydrocarbons, PCBs, metals, and pesticides. Grant funds also will be used to conduct community outreach activities including hosting three public meetings.”

The City of Trenton received almost $2 million for cleanup of the Former New Method Cleaners site, located at 300-310 Prospect Street. According to EPA’s Fact Sheet, “the cleanup site has a history of industrial and commercial activities dating back more than 120 years, including pottery manufacturing, a service station, and a coal and lumber storage distribution facility. Most recently the site was occupied by a leather cleaning and a wet-dry cleaning business. It has been vacant since 2015 and the soil and groundwater are contaminated with volatile organic compounds. Grant funds also will be used to support community outreach activities.”

This funding will make a significant difference to these communities. The cleanup and redevelopment of brownfield sites have catalytic impacts on neighborhoods, including additional investment, diversification of the local tax base, as well as improvements to human health and the environment by removing pollutants. The NJ Brownfields Assistance Center @ NJIT is looking forward to supporting Camden and Trenton throughout this cleanup process!

Are you interested in seeing brownfields transformed in your community? Reach out to the NJ Brownfields Assistance Center @ NJIT to learn more about accessing this funding and more! Email us at njbrownfields@njit.edu and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @njbrownfields for the latest news.