In the heart of Pennsylvania, over 200 sites bear the scars of industrial pasts, including the Lower Broadway Recreational Complex in Nanticoke. These areas, laden with hazardous chemicals, pose significant environmental challenges, urging state officials to seek essential funding for clean-up efforts.
“Sites like the one behind me remind us that environmental challenges often have lasting impacts on neighborhoods, local governments and residents,” stated Kris Shiffer, Director of the Bureau of Environmental Cleanup in Brownfields, part of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Shiffer, alongside DEP officials and local leaders, gathered at the restricted recreational complex to emphasize the need for financial backing of the DEP’s Hazardous Sites Cleanup Program (HSCA) to ensure a viable future for such sites.
“While every contaminated site has its own unique history and challenges, they all share a common objective: protecting communities, reducing risk and creating opportunities for a stronger future,” Shiffer emphasized.
Established in 1989, HSCA aims to mitigate environmental hazards and prepare properties for future use. Initially, the program was allocated $40 million annually, but funding ceased in December 2015. Currently, it relies on $15 to $20 million from natural gas impact fees. Governor Josh Shapiro has proposed a one-time $20 million transfer to sustain the fund for another year.
“No one else is going to come in on these types of properties with millions of dollars and try to remediate it on their own. So that’s where HSCA comes in,” Shiffer noted. “We look obviously to try to get these properties repurposed, reused back into the community, and that’s really the important part for everyone who’s local in any community that you’re in.”
Historical Challenges and Contaminants
Originally a dump and junkyard, the Lower Broadway Recreation Complex was submerged during Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Situated in a floodplain and near a former gas plant, the land was later transformed into soccer fields by the city in the 1990s. However, contamination discovered around 2011 led to its abandonment, according to Scott Bene, DEP’s solid water supervisor and Northeast HASCA manager.
Testing revealed high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), along with metals, pesticides, and other harmful compounds. “Research found that the highest concentration of PCBs on the property was 1,980 parts per million,” said Jennifer O’Riley, Director of Operations with GSI Environmental Inc. These levels far exceed the 9.3 parts per million standard set by Pennsylvania’s Land Recycling Program, known as Act 2.
Efforts to trace the contamination source are ongoing, with over 650 samples collected since 2018. Remediation costs for the 7.2-acre site are estimated between $5 and $7.5 million.
Community Transformation and Funding Needs
In a recent call to action, Nanticoke City Manager Donna Wall highlighted the importance of transforming the site: “Every sample collected, every risk evaluated, and every piece of data analyzed brings us closer to transforming a former scrap yard and dump site into a community asset.”
The event also underscored the need for HSCA funding. DEP Northeast Regional Director Joseph Buczynski stated, “Lower Broadway also highlights another important reality, communities often want to revitalize these properties, but the environmental liability and the cleanup costs are simply too great without state support.”
