PaDEP Northeast Region

270-acre Greyfields Tract, Hazleton

Groundwater Sciences Corporation (GSC) has been working at this site in the downtown area of the City of Hazleton since 1995. The site is extensively impacted by surface mining pits, highwalls, and spoil piles, and is the location of three historical municipal landfills, including one where uncontrolled disposal of hazardous wastes occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

GSC successfully applied for and received a Brownfields Action Team (BAT) designation, a Growing Greener Grant for stream restoration and an Industrial Sites Reuse Program (ISRP) grant for site characterization at this site. Also, GSC completed a Baseline Environmental Report (BER) using the Special Industrial Area (SIA) provisions of Act 2 and demonstrating compliance with a combination of Statewide Human Health and Site-Specific Standards, based in part on the performance of a risk assessment.

The BER was accepted and approved by the PaDEP within 30 days without comment on the first submission as adequately characterizing site conditions and presenting an acceptable plan for remediation of the site, closure of the landfills, and redevelopment for the property. The client then entered into a Consent Agreement based on the Baseline Environmental Report and obtained a Release from Liability from the PaDEP.