2016_BelleMead_GP4-10_FHA_WQC_Exhibit_A_-_Permit_Application.pdf

Environment

Prepared for:

U.S. General Services Administration Philadelphia, PA

Prepared by:

AECOM

Piscataway, NJ June 2016

Exhibit A – Application Report Combined Freshwater Wetlands General Permits No. 4 & 10A and Flood Hazard Area Individual Permit Application Former Belle Mead Army Depot, Remediation of North Parcel (SRP-ID No. 013003/LSR No. 120002)

Exhibit A – Application Report June 2016

Former Belle Mead Army Depot, Remediation of North Parcel i

Contents Contents ............................................................................................................................................ i

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Permits and Authorizations Requested

1.2 Application Fee Calculation

1.3 Previous NJDEP Approvals

2.0 Project Description

2.1 Regulated Areas

2.2 Regulated Activities

List of Figures:

Figure 1, Project Location Map Figure 2, Project Overview Map

Appendices:

Appendix A - DLUR Application Form Appendix B - Flood Hazard Area Application Checklist Appendix C - Previous NJDEP DLUR Approvals Appendix D - Environmental Inventory Maps

U.S.G.S. Topographic Map Tax Map FEMA Floodplain Map Soils Map NJDEP Wetlands Map

Appendix E - Project Area Photographs

List of Permit Exhibits:

Exhibit A - Application Report Exhibit B - Engineering Report Exhibit C - Environmental Report Exhibit D - Freshwater Wetlands General Permit Compliance Statement Exhibit E - Public Notice Documentation Exhibit F - Wetland Restoration Proposal Exhibit G - Permit Plans

Former Belle Mead Army Depot, Remediation of North Parcel 1

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Permits and Authorizations Requested

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is proposing to remediate soil contamination associated with the North Parcel Belle Mead Army Depot (North Parcel BMAD) site in Hillsborough Township, Somerset County, New Jersey (Figure 1). The proposed remediation will result in impacts to various regulated areas as discussed in Section 2.0 below. This combined permit application has been prepared to satisfy the applicable requirements of the Flood Hazard Area Control Act Rules (N.J.A.C. 7:13) and the Freshwater Wetland Protection Act Rules (N.J.A.C. 7:7A). As indicated in the DLUR Application Form (Appendix A), the following permits and authorizations are being sought for the project:

Flood Hazard Individual Permit Freshwater Wetlands General Permit #4 – Hazardous Site Investigation and Cleanup Freshwater Wetlands General Permit #10A – Very Minor Road Crossing Water Quality Certificate

A completed copy of the Flood Hazard Area application checklist has been included in Appendix B.

A copy of the freshwater wetlands general permit checklist has been incorporated into the Freshwater Wetlands General Permit Compliance Statement (Exhibit D).

1.2 Application Fee Calculation

The application fees have been calculated based on the Regulatory Fee Schedule (revised February 2015) as follows:

Section 1, Freshwater Wetlands:

General Permit No. 4 General Permit No. 10A

$1,000 $1,000

Section 2, Flood Hazard Area:

Base fee for individual permit Culvert Channel Stabilization (+/- 3,700 linear feet)

$3,000 $4,000 $18,800

Section 3, Coastal Projects:

Not Applicable

Section 4, Major Development/Stormwater Review:

Stormwater Review Base Fee

$3,000

Total Application Fee:

$30,800

A check made payable to “Treasurer, State of New Jersey” has been included with this application.

United States General Services Administration Former Belle Mead Army Depot

Remediation of North Parcel Hillsborough Township, Somerset County°2,000 0 2,0001,000

Feet

AECOM, www.aecom.com

Project Location Map

Legend Limit of Disturbance Project Site Consolidation Area

SITE LOCATION

E: 442573 N: 604445

USGS Raritan, NJ 7.5' Minute Quadrangle

USGS Rocky Hill, NJ 7.5' Minute Quadrangle

Former Belle Mead Army Depot, Remediation of North Parcel 3

1.3 Previous NJDEP Approvals

Previous NJDEP Division of Land Use Regulation approvals are summarized in Table 1 below.

Copies of these approvals have been included in Appendix C.

Table 1 – Summary of Previous NJDEP Division of Land Use Regulation Approvals

Approval File Number Status

Flood Hazard Area and Riparian Zone Verification 1800-07-0004.3, FHA 100001 Expired

Letter of Interpretation/Line Verification 1800-07-0004.3, FWW 100001 Expired, extension granted

Letter of Interpretation/Extension 1800-07-0004.3, FWW 150001 Expires October 19, 2020

Freshwater Wetlands GP4 and

GP12

1800-07-0004.5, FWW 140001,

FWW 140002 Approved, work completed

Freshwater Wetlands GP4, Block 177, Lots 23.02, 34, 35, 38

1800-07-0004.6, FWW 140001,

FWW 160001 Approved, under construction

2.0 Project Description

Site Background and Current Condition The former Belle Mead Army Depot (BMAD), originally known as the Bound Brook Defense Aid Depot, was assembled from the purchase or condemnation of 30 properties (approximately 868 acres) previously under agricultural use. Construction began on April 28, 1942, and the site was activated on August 10, 1942. BMAD was operated by the U.S. Army Supply Services Network from 1942 through 1958. In 1959, GSA took ownership of the site and operated it until 1991. BMAD permanently closed in 1991.

When in operation, BMAD covered approximately 800 acres and contained barracks, storage warehouses and sheds, railroad sidings, pistol ranges, petroleum storage tanks, a gasoline decanting facility, open air storage, and a wastewater treatment plant. The site contained more than 19 miles of roads and approximately 44 miles of railroad tracks. Storage space included more than 2.1 million square feet of enclosed space and more than 8 million square feet of open space.

Starting in the mid-1980’s, GSA progressively divested itself of BMAD, and does not currently own any part of the former depot. In 1986, the northernmost part of the depot (approximately 70 acres) was transferred to Hillsborough Township, which developed it into a recreational use, Ann Van Middlesworth Park. In early 2009, GSA transferred ownership of 369 acres in the southern portion of BMAD (South Parcel) to the Somerset County Improvement Authority (SCIA) for development of open space and parkland. Development of this parcel into a park is ongoing.

In April 1987, GSA sold the central portion of BMAD, about 339 acres in size, to a private developer.

Following several subsequent transactions, the North Parcel BMAD was purchased in 2003 by Hillsborough Properties, LLC. This 339-acre tract constitutes the North Parcel BMAD, which is currently vacant, inactive, and fenced. Most of the buildings and structures that once were on the site have been demolished and removed. Remnants include concrete foundations and slabs; rail sidings

Former Belle Mead Army Depot, Remediation of North Parcel 4 with track ballast and rail ties missing their steel rails; significantly degraded asphalt and dirt/gravel roadways; debris piles; and a former water tower. Utility service to the North Parcel BMAD has been terminated but some utility infrastructure may still be present in portions of the property, the majority of which is overgrown with scrub/shrub vegetation characteristic of primary and early secondary succession.

Starting in 1989, GSA has conducted multiple environmental investigations of BMAD to assess potential contamination that previous use of the site may have caused. Early investigations identified several areas of potential environmental concern and recommended additional soil sampling and analysis to delineate areas where concentrations of regulated compounds exceeded NJDEP standards.

In 2000, GSA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NJDEP that established GSA’s cleanup obligations for BMAD. Environmental investigations subsequent to the MOU further defined the type and extent of contamination on BMAD. Table 2 lists the various reports and investigations conducted prior to and after the 2000 MOU.

Table 2 – BMAD Environmental Investigations 1988-2015

1988-1999 2000-2015

Preliminary Assessment (1988)

EPA Preliminary Assessment Review Form (1989)

Site Inspection, March 1993

Final Project Work Plan - Phase II Site Investigation, Final Site Investigation Results,1993

Preliminary Investigation and Analysis of Potentially Responsible Parties, 1994

Final Site Investigation Report – General Services Administration Federal Supply Center, 1994

Final Investigation and Analysis of Potentially Responsible Parties – Belle Mead General Depot, Belle Mead, New Jersey, 1994;

100 Percent Advance Final UST/AST Demolition/Removal Specifications, 1995

Draft Inventory Report for the Visual Survey of Debris and Buildings, 1996

Site Investigation Report, 1997

Market Feasibility and Site Suitability Study 1998

UST Remedial Investigation Workplan, 1998

Draft Report – Remedial Investigation of Underground Storage Tanks, 1998

Summary Environmental Report for the General Services Administration (GSA) and Bridgefield Associates, Inc.

Properties, 1999

Remedial Investigation Work Plan (RIWP) – Belle Mead Disposal Study, 2001

Remedial Investigation Report (RIR) – Belle Mead Disposal Study, 2001

Remedial Investigation Report Addendum (RIRA) – Belle Mead Disposal Study, 2002

Potable Well Sampling Report – Belle Mead Disposal Study, 2002

Supplemental Remedial Investigation Work Plan (SRIWP) – Belle Mead Disposal Study, 2003

Remedial Investigation Report Addendum (RIRA) – Belle Mead Disposal Study, 2005;

Remedial Investigation Work Plan (RIWP) – Hillsborough Properties, LLC-owned portion of the former Belle Mead Army Depot, 2009

Technical Memorandum for the Hillsborough Properties, LLC-owned portion of the former Belle Mead Army Depot, 2011

Feasibility Study for the Former Belle Mead Army Depot, Hillsborough Properties, LLC-Owned Parcels, 2014

Pre-Design Investigation (PDI) – Former Belle Mead Army Depot, Belle Mead, New Jersey, 2015

Remedial Investigation Report –Former North Belle Mead Depot, 2015

Remedial Action Work Plan for the North Parcel of the Former Belle Mead Army Depot, Hillsborough, New Jersey, 2015

Former Belle Mead Army Depot, Remediation of North Parcel 5

In the course of these investigations, soil sampling and analysis showed that soils on the North Parcel BMAD have been contaminated by PAHs, (including benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, chrysene, dibenzo(a,h)anthracene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, and naphthalene), metals (including arsenic, lead, and mercury), and a pesticide, 4,4’- DDT. In addition, PAHs were detected near the surface in the following areas of the North Parcel BMAD: near railroad beds, roads, former buildings, and debris piles, as well as in areas where stormwater collected from these areas is discharged. PAH presence appears to be related to the combustion of coal and other fuels used in former operations, including coal and diesel burning locomotives, trucks, and automobiles.

The presence of arsenic is attributable to the use of pesticides prior to and during site operations in the 1940s; leaching from creosote soaked railroad ties; or atmospheric deposition from possible coal combustion. Lead contamination appears to be related to a former pistol range (where lead bullets and fragments remain in the former backstop); the former jerry can storage area and debris ridge (from discarded debris material that currently remains in those locations); and the burn pit (where former open burning of debris was conducted). Mercury and 4,4’-DDT appear to be associated with a debris ridge in the northwestern corner of the North Parcel BMAD. The investigations have delineated the extent of this soil contamination, and identified various Areas of Concern (AOCs), none of which have affected groundwater.

Impacts in surface soil have migrated via surface runoff and sediment transport in drainage features, including various ditches, swales and stream channels. These impacts have migrated beyond the property boundary in several locations, which has necessitated some limited off-site remediation. In February of 2016, NJDEP approved a General Permit #4 for the initial phase of the project, which includes Block 177, Lots 23.02, 34, 35, 38 (File #1800-07-0004.6, FWW 140001, FWW 160001). This phase of the project is currently in construction and primarily includes neighboring residential properties.

The phase of the project which is the subject of this application includes the North Parcel lots, as well as additional off-site properties where regulated impacts will occur as a result of the remediation activities. Table 3 below presents a summary of the lots which are the subject of this application.

Former Belle Mead Army Depot, Remediation of North Parcel 6

Table 3 – Project Parcel Summary

Block / Lot Address Property Owner

Block 12 Lot 13

Amwell Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844 Hillsborough Properties, LLC

Block 175 Lot 39.02

Pleasant View Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844 Hillsborough Properties, LLC

Block 175.06 Lot 1.01

570 Pleasant View Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844 Township of Hillsborough

Block 175.18 Lot 39.04

38 East Mountain Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844 Hillsborough Properties, LLC

Block 177 Lot 23.02

Mountain View Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844 Hillsborough Properties, LLC

Block 177 Lot 55

Pleasant View Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844 County of Somerset

Block 177.02 Lot 49

Pleasant View Road, Hillsborough, NJ 08844

Pleasant View Farms Homeowners Assn.

These parcels are shown in Figure 2, and project-related activities are discussed below.

Description of Proposed Remediation The objective of this project is to remediate the property to New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) residential standards for unrestricted use. The preferred remedial action includes removal of the upper 12 inches of soil from portions of the site and surrounding properties, and consolidation of the soils in the northeast corner of the site, as shown in Figure 2 and further detailed on the Permit Plans (Exhibit F). The work will focus on remediating the bulk of the North Parcel BMAD to the applicable RDCSRS and limiting the amount of material to be disposed of offsite. This would be accomplished by removing from the site only materials that may be considered hazardous or suspected source material. The remaining contaminated soil would be consolidated in an area less than 10 percent of the site’s total extent in order to limit the area where engineering controls will be needed. The consolidation area would be capped to prevent direct contact and migration of the contaminants.

Specifically, the remediation project would consist of the following major components:

Removal of debris piles, and clearing/grubbing of existing vegetation from the approximately 230 acres of affected soil (including clearing in regulated wetlands, waters and associated buffers);

Removal of one foot of soil (inclusive of former roads, former building and building foundations, and rail beds) from approximately 205 acres of land previously associated with roads and rails (including excavation in regulated wetlands, waters and associated buffers);

Removal of lead-impacted soil from a portion of a former pistol range, with hazardous soil to be removed from the site and disposed at a properly licensed disposal facility;

Removal of a tarry material from the former burn pit area for offsite disposal at a properly licensed disposal facility;

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Former Belle Mead Army Depot, Remediation of North Parcel 8

Removal of contaminated soil and sediment from stream channels and drainage pathways, which are serving as a migration pathway for contaminants;

Consolidation on-site and capping of removed soils and debris in the northeast corner of the North Parcel in as small an area as feasible, to form a feature approximately 30 feet high;

Installation of an earthen cap atop the soil and debris pile to inter the contaminated soil indefinitely and prevent potential migration and direct contact;

Restoration of the remainder of the site to approximate existing grade and drainage patterns;

including replanting of vegetation within the restored areas and restoration/mitigation for wetland, channel and riparian zone disturbances;

Long term monitoring and maintenance of the engineering controls placed in the consolidation area.

To accomplish the remediation, a haul road would be established on the North Parcel BMAD for the duration of the proposed remediation activities. The two-lane road would provide access for construction vehicles from Mountain View Road and extend northwesterly approximately 3.2 miles through the site, terminating at the Conrail Lehigh Valley Railroad, at the end of the outlying parcels area. Secondary entrance points would be established at the intersection of the haul road with Amwell Road and East Mountain Road.

The haul road would be graded to a finished width of 30 feet and a driving surface consisting of an 8-inch layer of coarse aggregate and geotextile fabric. Where the haul road connects to existing roads, stabilized construction entrances would be installed. In the outparcels, the haul road would intersect with Royce Brook, where a temporary culvert crossing would be installed.

Secondary haul roads may be established at various locations across the site to facilitate the transport of soils to the Consolidation Area. While the exact alignment of the main and secondary haul roads has not yet been determined, they all would be within North Parcel BMAD and involve no disturbance outside the property. When the remediation is complete, portions of the haul road south of Royce Brook would remain in place to provide future site access. The upper six inches of these roads would be removed and placed in the Consolidation Area. The roads would then be resurfaced with clean gravel.

Portions of the remediation project will occur within regulated freshwater wetlands, freshwater wetland transition areas, flood hazard areas and riparian zones. Regulated areas on the site are discussed below, and are shown on Figure 2 along with the proposed limits of disturbance.

2.1 Regulated Areas

Regulated areas in the vicinity of the project include:

Regulated waters, including unnamed tributaries to the South Branch Raritan River, Royce Brook, and several associated unnamed tributaries. According to the NJDEP Surface Water Quality Standards (N.J.A.C. 7:9B), all waters on site are FW2-NT.

Flood hazard areas associated with the regulated waters identified above. These flood hazard areas were delineated via approximation and/or via calculation, as documented in the Engineering Report (Exhibit B).

Riparian zones associated with the regulated waters identified above. Most of the riparian zones within the project area are 50’ wide; however, one of the Royce Brook tributaries has an associated 150’ riparian zone due to mapped wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) habitat

Former Belle Mead Army Depot, Remediation of North Parcel 9 within one-mile downstream.

Freshwater wetlands and wetland transition areas. Most of the wetlands are associated with the above-referenced waterways, however some are isolated. The wetlands were delineated by Bohler Engineering, and a Line Verification Letter of Interpretation (LOI) was issued by NJDEP on October 20, 2010 (File #1800-07-0004.3 FWW 100001). The NJDEP approved an LOI extension request on October 5, 2015 (File #1800-07-0004.3 FWW 150001). The LOI was supplemented with limited off-site delineation where necessary, and minor revisions were incorporated to account for more accurate mapping of waterways and drainage features.

The limits of all regulated areas are shown on the Permit Plans (Exhibit F) along with the project related impacts. Environmental inventory maps of the project area have been included in Appendix D. Photographs of the project area have been included in Appendix E.

2.2 Regulated Activities

Regulated activities will include vegetation clearing, excavation, fill and grading, as well as the construction of structures within regulated waters, flood hazard areas, riparian zones, freshwater wetlands and freshwater wetland transition areas.

Documentation of how the project complies with the limits and requirements of the Flood Hazard Area Control Act Rules (N.J.A.C. 7:13) is provided in the Environmental Report (Exhibit C).

Documentation of how the project complies with the limits and requirements of the Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act Rules (N.J.A.C. 7:7A) is provided in the Freshwater Wetlands Compliance Statement (Exhibit D).