AUGUST 7, 2015--The Delaware River Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP) held the Brownfields Revitalization Community of Practice Meeting at the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Camden, New Jersey on July 30, 2015.

The Brownfield Community of Practice has been hosted by the three other major urban centers (Philadelphia, Chester, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware) in the Upper Delaware Estuary Region. The objective of the UWFP is to increase federal coordination and leverage resources and authorities with community driven and partner efforts to restore impacted urban waterways and communities, including several coastal communities. Goals include increasing economic and social health of these underserved communities, addressing water quality and climate resilience issues, performing natural resource restoration including green infrastructure and habitats that increase resilience, and providing increased public access via trails, greenways, and other projects that address environmental justice issues.

NOAA is a federal co-lead sponsor for this location and OR&R’s Simeon Hahn is the co-facilitator of the Brownfield Community of Practice group together with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Brownfield Section Chief, Frank McLaughlin. Camden is a transforming coastal community that highlights the UWFP efforts and was recently visited by President Obama who toured the Kroc Center.

In part due to the efforts of the UWFP Camden has received 14 EPA Brownfield grants totaling 5.4 million dollars since 2012, alleviated numerous nuisance and combine sewer overflow problems, day lighted a former tidal stream, and transformed Brownfield sites into new economic uses and public parks. However the needs and challenges in Camden remain high. Hybrid living shoreline projects at Harrison Avenue Landfill and Phoenix Park are current priority projects seeking federal assistance.

For more detailed information, contact Simeon.Hahn@noaa.gov.

Go back to OR&R Weekly Report.