Redevelopment Implications of Known & Suspected Contamination
FormIn 2004, the RIDEM Office of Waste Management amended the Rules and Regulations for the Investigation and Remediation of Hazardous Materials Releases. The amendment is intended as an integrated program requiring reporting, investigation and remediation of contaminated sites to eliminate and/or control threats to human health and the environment in a “timely and cost-effective manner.”
FormDespite this dual-intent (human and environmental health), remediation strategies considered for the waterfront brownfields appear focused on the human health of onsite occupants. While movement of contaminants has to some degree been considered, there is little if any action being taken to address the possibility that contaminants may travel to the river system and reach estuarine wildlife. At this moment, the immediate objective of remediation from the redevelopment standpoint is to reduce potential direct exposure to impacted soils via capping and institutional controls (a land-use restriction on residential uses of the first floor). While protecting the building occupants is a worthy goal, it would be prudent to more seriously consider offsite exposure potentials as well.
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