Public Notification & Outreach Guidance
Early, two-way communication with residents, business owners and local officials potentially affected by remediation activities can be critical to a successful investigation and cleanup. This may be especially true when future uses include public recreation or housing. With an effective outreach strategy, the parties responsible for the remediation can anticipate the needs and concerns of the community and deal with them proactively. Effective outreach creates a forum to share information and raise and address community concerns about future use early in the remediation process. This effort can save time and money and build critical community support.
For this reason, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Department) has adopted amendments to the Technical Requirements for Site Remediation (N.J.A.C. 7:26E) to require the person responsible for conducting the remediation of a contaminated site to perform public notification and outreach beginning at the onset of the remedial investigation phase. Amendments to N.J.A.C. 7:26E - 1.4 and 1.11 are published in the September 2, 2008 New Jersey Register. Minor amendments were also made to N.J.A.C. 7:26E - 3.7, 4.1, 5.1, 8.2. For sites where the remedial investigation or single phase remediation was initiated prior to September 2, 2008, the remediating party must come into compliance no later than September 2, 2009. The rule adoption document is posted on the Department's web page at www.nj.gov/dep/srp/regs.
The Department has developed the following guidance to help remediation parties comply with the amendments:
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Alert
Public Notification and Outreach Compliance Deadline is September 2, 2009
On September 2, 2008, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) adopted rules requiring those responsible for cleanups of contaminated sites to post signs or distribute notification letters informing local residents of work progress. For sites already undergoing cleanup, these rules require notification to take place within one year of the effective date.
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