City of Bristol turns brown to green: Vacant Brownfield site to become entryway to Rockwell Park

Over the last decade, redevelopment of Brownfield Sites has become the focus of many municipalities. A Brownfield Site is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as "any 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." Often these sites are rundown and under tax arrearage. The goal of the municipality is to have these sites cleaned up, redeveloped, and put back on the tax roll. Such is the case with the City of Bristol. HRP Associates, Inc. (HRP), an environmental and engineering consulting firm, was retained by the City of Bristol in 2011 to oversee the abatement, demolition, and remediation of a former gasoline station. At the time of the remediation, the site contained a 1,560 s/f building, which had been constructed in 1960. Previous environmental investigations identified soils containing petroleum and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) at concentrations warranting removal. This project is funded through the Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund (BRLF) and administered by the Valley Council of Governments (Valley COG) and the U.S. EPA. In order to fulfill the requirements of the BRLF agreement, the site was entered into the Connecticut Voluntary Remediation Program (VRP) under Section 22a-133x of the General Statutes. HRP completed an Environmental Condition Assessment Form (ECAF), an Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA), a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), and a Remedial Action Plan prior to site work. Initially, HRP conducted hazardous material abatement and building demolition, followed by the removal of four underground storage tanks, one aboveground storage tank, and one hydraulic lift tank. Upon completion of the tank removal, the soil remediation was conducted. The objectives of the remedial activities were to bring soil into compliance with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) Remediation Standard Regulations (RSRs) via direct comparison to numeric criteria, the use of alternative analytical methods, and the use of statistical calculations. Ultimately, an Environmental Land Use Restriction (ELUR) will be implemented to leave inaccessible soils in place, as allowed by the RSRs. Confirmatory bottom and sidewall samples were collected to document compliance with the RSRs. All soil removal was completed in 2011 and post-remediation groundwater monitoring is currently being conducted. The final LEP Verification is anticipated to be completed in October of 2013. Upon completion of all environmental activities, the city of Bristol will redevelop the site as an entryway into Rockwell Park. The city is exploring the potential to utilize the state Brownfield programs to address other sites. State programs include the new Brownfield Remediation and Revitalization Program, which grants liability relief to bona fide prospective purchasers, innocent land owners, or contiguous property owners. In 2011, the Connecticut Legislators passed Public Act 11-141 - The Brownfield Remediation and Revitalization Program - in response to the 2002 Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfield Revitalization Act (P.L. 107-118). The state regulation established two programs: Abandoned Brownfield Cleanup Program (ABCP) and Brownfield Remediation and Revitalization Program (BRRP). These programs provide the applicant with liability protection from the state, third parties, and investigation and remediation of off-site issues. The number of sites accepted into the ABCP is not limited. However, only 32 sites will be selected per year for the BRRP. As one of the leading Brownfield consulting firms, we work closely with our clients to understand their business needs and priorities to develop strategies to assess and redevelop Brownfield sites. Our services include environmental investigations, site planning and remedial design. We have vast experience in obtaining grant funding, negotiating work plans with regulators, and attracting developers to the sites. We recognize that to be successful, we must be flexible and address the concerns of all stakeholders. Zoé Belcher, LG, LEP, is project manager for HRP Associates, Inc., Bronx, N.Y.