Land Use History: A Brief Overview

Contamination of the Waterfront Brownfields

Environmental Implications of Known and Suspected Contamination

Redevelopment Implications

Existing Regulatory & Planning Structures: Coastal Regulations and Providence 2020

Waterfront & The Future

WATERFRONT BROWNFIELDS IN THE JEWELRY DISTRICT: DYNAMO HOUSE AND ADJACENT PARCEL AT 360 EDDY STREET

Northern parcel

FormThough the vacant northern parcel is currently owned by National Grid, in the absence of contamination, the parcel’s location would make it a coveted property. As it stands, remediation depends on intended use. The Narragansett Bay Commission has discussed using parts of the parcel for parking, and Water Fire uses a portion for fuel wood storage.  Additionally, the Heritage Harbor Museum will lease part of the property for parking. All of these potential uses suggest impervious hard surfaces, which is ideal for capping but less than ideal for the river ecosystem, which will be subjected to continued runoff from blacktop, and which may be exposed to migrating contaminants underneath the cap.

GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc., outlined a series of remediation scenarios for the northern parcel.

1. Excavation and offsite disposal of impacted soils is seen to be impractical and cost-prohibitive.
2. One option is to conduct excavation and offsite disposal of impacted soils over limited areas, which would address the highest TPH concentrations at “environmentally sensitive” parts of the property, namely, those adjacent to the river at the north and northeast ends of the property.
3. GZA suggested the use of environmental land use restricts (ELUR)
4. GZA suggested sampling and routine monitoring to evaluate the change in groundwater quality over time. We again add that it would be sensible to monitor quality of adjacent surface water as well.