Keasbey Brownfield Site Moves Closer to Remediation

Phase two of a massive redevelopment project is officially underway in Keasbey following a ribbon-cutting ceremony along the Raritan River Friday morning, Oct. 28.

The ribbon-cutting, held deep in the 120 acre site off Riverfront Road, signals the beginning of the second phase of remediation of the environmental wetlands along the river, the largest segment of the Brownfields Development Area in Keasbey. 

“This site has not been active since 1984,” said Mayor John McCormac of the redevelopment area.  “[The Brownfields Development Area designation] has been a fantastic agreement, it allows us to get direct access to the DEP...and it’s the reason we’re here today.”

When completed, the future Woodbridge Waterfront Park will include boardwalks along the waterfront and upland areas, bird blinds, hiking trails, scenic overlooks, and more.  The project will also allow direct public access to the Raritan River waterfront from Woodbridge – a setup that hasn’t been available to Woodbridge residents since the late 1800s.

The first phase of the project began in July.  In addition to the Waterfront Park, plans for the former chemical manufacturing site include business and industrial development.  Restoration of the area – including the construction of a 7,000 foot long hydraulic barrier wall, excavation and off-site disposal of impacted soil, lead, and pesticide waste material, capping and filling of an impacted pond, and the construction of a soil cap over the areas within the barrier wall that were formerly manufacturing areas – is expected to take three years.

“To see the BDA here and see the process unfold and to start seeing these sites being cleaned up and remediated and also restored, it gives us hope that this great resource that is the Raritan River can be restored in our lifetime,” said Bob Spiegel, President of Edison Wetlands Association, a non-profit organization that began in the late 1980’s with the goal of cleaning up the Raritan River.  “This is a great opportunity.”

The site has been undergoing remediation and clean-up since the early 1990s and was designated a Brownfield Development Area in October 2009 by the Department of Environmental Protection. That allowed the township to work on coordinated remediation and redevelopment, while being eligible for grants of up to $5 million each year from the DEP's Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund for investigation and remediation.