New Jersey Asbestos Brownfield Now Ball Field

Berkeley Heights Asbestos Brownfield Now Ball Field

In Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, what was once a brownfield poisoned with hydrocarbon residues and asbestos will soon become a playing field and public park for the area's residents.

Located in Union County, with a population of 12,913 and centered in the heart of the Watchung Mountains, Berkeley Heights is now beautiful, but before December of 2007 and the completion of brownfield remediation under the auspices of the state's Department of Environmental Protection, or NJDEP, there were 18 acres of asbestos contamination left behind by American Asbestos.

In 1952, American Asbestos sold the property to Shaw Plastics, after having used asbestos to fill low-lying areas. Shaw Plastics and Barry Fuel both used the property for a time, leaving behind their own amalgam of contaminants. Both Shaw and Berry still reside in Berkeley Heights.

The brownfield renovation project was completed by Robbinsbrook LLC, and the materials disposed of according to The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA, in designated out-of-state landfills.

In all, 42,000 tons of contaminated soils, much of it containing asbestos, were removed from the property, according to NJDEP Commissioner Mark Mauriello, for a total cost of $6.5 million.

Asbestos was mined and heavily used as an insulative product during most of the last century. In the 1970's, physicians and health officials began to recognize its dangers, and by 1989 the EPA had moved to restrict its use in American-made products to one percent by weight (or volume).

Long-term asbestos exposure can lead to asbestosis, a debilitating respiratory disease, but any exposure can cause mesothelioma, a usually lethal cancer of the mesothelial lining of the lungs and abdomen which lies dormant for decades before producing symptoms definitive enough to diagnose. Most victims diagnosed with mesothelioma die within a year to 18 months; about 10 percent live up to five years.

Montvale-based Applied Landscape Technologies was given the $3.85-million development contract for the county's 13-acre portion. About a third of this funding came from New Jersey's Green Acres Program, developed in 1961 by the NJDEP to meet the state's growing open-space and conservation needs. The remaining costs come from Union County's Open Space Trust Fund.

The site now meets the NJDEP's criteria for unrestricted use. A former site plan, which included residential housing, has since been voted down by residents, but the property - purchased jointly by the township and the county in 2004 for $13 million (from Robbinsbrook) with an eye to keeping it for open space - can easily meet those criteria as a lighted, artificial turf baseball field/diamond and public park. The county will also construct, maintain and own a small concession stand, restrooms, and parking facilities.

At one time, Berkeley Heights township also planned to build a recreation center on its allocated four acres, but residents voted down that project in 2008.

According to Berkeley Township recreation director Thomas Barton, the project is a great opportunity for Berkeley Heights, given the scarcity of available land, and will make scheduling the field and recreation needs of the various local organizations and sports teams that much easier.

It also removes the threat of asbestos contamination from the town's 13,000 residents, who are now free to enjoy the beauty of their locale without the fear of eventual illness.

Sources: EPA website, State of New Jersey website, NJ.com

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