Project at a Glance
- Whitman retained by NJSDA to perform environmental due diligence and preliminary site investigation tasks
- Properties slated for acquisition for construction of a replacement for Public School #20 in Jersey City, NJ
- Chromium contaminated fill present beneath parking lot utilized by food market
- Areas of environmental contamination identified, including historic fill and heating oil/gasoline USTs
- Whitman provided expert and litigation support; retained as LSRP
- Conducted Indoor Environmental Health Assessment
- Designed vapor mitigation system
Key Words
Environmental, NJSDA, school, due diligence, preliminary site investigation, storage tanks, historic fill, LSRP, waste classification, indoor environmental health assessment, vapor mitigation
Overview
Whitman was initially retained as part of a Site Feasibility team that was authorized by the New Jersey Schools Development Authority (NJSDA) to perform environmental due diligence and preliminary site investigation tasks at properties slated for acquisition for the construction of a replacement for Public School #20 in Jersey City, New Jersey. The largest tract of land that was evaluated by Whitman was an approximately 2.05 acre parcel of property on which a food market was located.
During the completion of the initial environmental due diligence activities, Whitman identified that the southern portion of the site was a listed New Jersey State Hazardous Waste Site – Hudson County Chromate Site 155. Further assessment performed during this initial due diligence identified that chromium contaminated fill was present beneath a portion of the parking lot utilized by the food market.
Subsequent environmental due diligence and investigation activities performed identified other areas of environmental contamination. These areas included historic fill, heating oil/gasoline underground storage tanks and the presence of a former gasoline service station. In addition, Whitman performed a trenching program to identify the location, nature and extent of buried underground obstacles which could complicate site construction activities.
Whitman’s role in this project expanded to provide NJSDA with remediation expert and litigation support with the focus of obtaining cost contribution and cost recovery for these pre-existing environmental conditions.
Over the past 10 years, the focus of this project was to prepare the property for construction and to initiate and complete site construction work. Work performed by Whitman included:
- Retention as the site LSRP
- Performed in-situ waste classification soil samples of soil materials to be disturbed and transported off- site.
- Assisted NJSDA with the preparation of an “Early Site Package” for the remediation of non-historic fill environmental issues and the removal of buried concrete and former building foundations
- Removal of underground storage tanks (USTs) identified during previous environmental assessments
- Conducted Indoor Environmental Health Assessment (IEHA)
- Design of a vapor mitigation system for the proposed school facility
