Projects: Case Closures (NFA) Under Cleanup Star   Program

Locations: Paterson and Irvington, NJ

Description: NJDEP’s Cleanup Star Program allows EWMA’s Cleanup Stars to complete the necessary paper work and perform all the site investigatory and/or remedial activities required to gain a NJDEP No Further Action (NFA) Letter in an expedited manner. Under the Cleanup Star Program, the NFA Letter for your property could be approved within three to five days of NJDEP receiving your Cleanup Star application. The Cleanup Star Program is ideal for obtaining quick closure for underground storage tank (UST), Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA) and brownfield cases with no more than two areas of concern (AOCs), and no ground water impacts. The Program allows qualified slightly contaminated properties to move through the NJDEP remedial process in a highly expedited manner, allowing property owners to quickly obtain a NFA Letter, which is necessary for a property transaction or redevelopment to go forward. The Cleanup Star Program allows pre-qualified environmental professionals, such as EWMA personnel, with limited NJDEP oversight subject to possible audit, to expedite site cleanups in accordance with the NJDEP Technical Requirements for Site Remediation.

Recent Success Stories: 

• An Industrial/commercial property in Paterson, NJ triggered The Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA) through a sale of the property. A previously performed Phase I identified several AOCs; however, no more than two of the AOCs required further investigation qualifying this site for Clean Up Star. The property was owned by a single entity; however, there were three tenants occupying the property. Per the DEP, a General Information Notice (GIN) and a Negative Declaration Affidavit needed to be filled out for each of the three tenants but only one PAR needed to be submitted provided it described all operations conducted by all three tenants on the property. EWMA streamlined all three tenants into one report. Once investigations were completed, they were submitted along with the required Clean Up Star application to the NJDEP Clean Up Star Program. EWMA’s project was issued a NO FURTHER ACTION letter within five business days of the submittal.

• A real Estate broker called on us to save a deal from falling apart, the broker made it very clear to us that the closing date could not be delayed or the deal would fall through. A homeowner in Irvington, NJ was selling her house. As part of the contract with the buyer she had to remove a pre-existing Underground Storage Tank (UST) from the property. When the tank was removed there was evidence of visual staining (there had been a release from the tank). Fortunately for all parties concerned the release had only impacted soils and not groundwater. EWMA removed the contaminated soils and submitted all of the appropriate cleanup star paperwork. The case qualified under the Cleanup Star Program and we had an NFA letter faxed to us within four days of submittals to NJDEP. The Real Estate Transaction was saved and the closing was completed on time!  .