Project Years: 2012

RCRA / CERCLA Cleanup Process

FSE completed comprehensive PA/SI activities at 4 Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) in New York and New Jersey. The sites ranged in size from 99 to 1,600 acres. The sites included a broad range of former uses: supply depot, military ocean terminal, missile site, proving ground, and a Fort. The sites were used over a large time period: 1895 to the 1970’s.

The project was performed at three former DOD facilities: Fort Hancock in Monmouth County, New Jersey (two sites); Belle Mead General Depot in Hillsborough County, New Jersey; and Military Ocean Terminal (Brooklyn Army Terminal) in Brooklyn, New York. Ownership of these FUDS sites was transferred to other non-DOD federal agencies (General Services Administration (GSA), USCG, and National Park Service (NPS)), local authorities, and/or private developers.

Each facility has been decommissioned and are in various stages of redevelopment and new ownership. The sites were known to have contained USTs, ASTs, missile silos, landfills, unexploded ordinance (UEX), heavy metals, and asbestos.

Design and Implementation of Remediation Strategies

ftHancockMapA PA/SI report was prepared for each of the 4 sites. The reports included recommendations for work plan development to address a variety of issues: asbestos abatement, building demolition, UST removal, landfill delineation, and missile silo decommissioning. The work plans include recommendations for additional sampling, waste delineation, site surveys, waste and site feature removal, and site restoration efforts. The current site ownership and history of redevelopment and reuse were also included in each site-specific report.

Environmental Chemistry Data Collection, Management and Interpretation

Initial site assessments were performed at each site in the 1990’s. Using this information as a base, FSE performed site inspections to document current site environmental conditions, assess structures for public safety concerns, and assess the potential for hazardous and toxic substance releases. Detailed documentation of current site conditions was provided through photographs and updated site plans. FSE reviewed readily available reports and documents relevant to each site and interviewed persons knowledgeable about the site. Additional historical reports and site information we obtained, where available, from state agencies (NYSDEC and NJDEP) and performed online database searches. Follow-up site inspections were performed to identify and evaluate areas of concern identified through the historical research.

nikeMissleSiteBatAt Fort Hancock, NJ (shown on previous page) a proving ground was operated from 1876 and 1919. Facilities were expanded during World Wars I and II. Nike missile battery installations were built during the 1950’s. Fort Hancock was deactivated by the DoD in the 1970’s and over 1,600 acres were transferred to the Department of Interior for the Gateway National Recreation Area Project. The remaining 67 acres were transferred to the U. S. Coast Guard where a former landfill remains. Approximately 50 UST/AST locations and over 100 building locations were inventoried and field verified, including multiple former Nike missile site batteries (pictured). 

brklynArmyTermThe Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT) (pictured above) was a large complex of piers, docks, warehouses, cranes, rail sidings and cargo loading equipment located on approximately 99 acres in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Construction of Building A (1.8 million square feet) and Building B (2.2 million square feet) began in 1918 and was completed, at a cost of $30 million, in September 1919. At its peak of activity during World War II, 56,000 military and civilian personnel were employed at the BAT. The BAT was responsible for shipment of 85% of army equipment and personnel overseas during World War II; 38 million tons of supplies and over 3 million soldiers. FSE inventoried and field verified the status of multiple piers, boiler house, USTs, ASTs, fueling stations and the building interiors.

DoD Environmental Investigation and Cleanup with Local, State and Federal Regulatory Compliance

Overall, the project required records reviews, interviews, and applied knowledge of analytical methods, reporting requirements, and remediation standards in NY State, the City of NY, and NJ, in addition to the CERCLA regulations.

Project Cost: $42,000