The New Jersey coastline along the Hudson River has seen tremendous growth in the last few years. At one site, ESI created innovative ways to allow development to proceed. The site was regulated under the NJDEP Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA) and identified various types of chemical and industrial operations that were conducted on site since the early part of the 20th century.

The operations included chemical manufacturing, metal finishers, tar manufacturing, oil recycling, building product manufacturing,

aluminum re-working, specialty chemicals production, and lighting fixture manufacturing.

Activities associated with historic operations left the site with many potential areas of environmental concern (AOCs). ESI used historic documents to identify AOCs which included former transformer locations, under ground storage tanks, former above ground storage tank locations, production areas, and surface spills, and several fill areas including a bauxite fill.

ESI moved fast to investigate the site, and worked closely with the developer and the NJDEP to create a development plan that incorporated remedial actions. Among the many innovative ways ESI found to move the project forward, one of the most cost-effective was a program to clean, test, and then surgically remove only those building materials that were highly contaminated. Another was to establish a deed notice for the entire site and develop a site wide cap that met with development goals.

After several rounds of intense negotiations, ESI received NJDEP approval to re-use crushed materials in the subgrades of roads. ESI also found ways to cap the bauxite fill and incorporate the cap into landscaping plans, improving the site while saving on disposal costs.

Another way ESI added value was to create flexible remedial action plans that allowed contingency remedial action equipment to be designed and placed in a way that was inconspicuous to residents and visitors.