Long Bridge Park: From Brownfield to Playing Fields
Background
Long Bride Park, once referred to as the North Tract, was formerly a light industrial site. The property consists of two parcels of land: Parcel 14 is the former Davis Industries Site and Parcel 15 is the former Arlington Industrial Area. The following information summarizes the investigations and environmental clean-up actions at Parcels 14 and 15.
Implementing a sound environmental process ensured that Parcels 14 and 15, moderately contaminated by former industrial use, are safe for the recreational use envisioned for Long Bridge Park. Under Virginia’s Voluntary Remediation Program, voluntary investigations, human health risk assessments, and some remediation activities have been completed for Parcels 14 and 15.
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Arlington County’s remediation work excavated, screened, treated contaminated soil (where needed), reused soil onsite, put a clean soil cover in place and established site controls. More specifically, contaminated soil was excavated during the construction of park features and treated as necessary. The soil was reused onsite in pre-determined areas, referred to as Placement Zones. These zones were constructed to enclose or cover soil that has been treated or has contaminants at levels below regulator-approved thresholds. A covering of one to two feet of clean fill dirt separates park users from the underlying soil.
This integrated remediation and redevelopment approach protects human health, both during and after construction and remediation. It is also an environmentally sustainable approach. By managing most of the material onsite, the County avoided additional truck trips to dispose of contaminated soil offsite and did not consume landfill space. As a result, less non-renewable fuels (diesel) were used and the associated emission of particulates and greenhouse gas into the air were significantly decreased.
Arlington County worked with Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) to successfully carry out the remedial process and to receive Certificates of Satisfactory Completion for Parcels 14 and 15.
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Excavation of Contaminated Soils and Treatment Facility, Parcel 15