Projects

The City of Lowell, Massachusetts, was awarded a “Brownfields Area-wide Planning Grant” from the U.S. EPA to focus on district-wide planning for the Tanner Street area of Lowell.

As part of the planning team, CDW conducted a district-wide environmental assessment addressing, in general, the relevant portions of EPA’s All Appropriate Inquiries Rule. This assessment was used to obtain current and historical information about parcels within the district for evaluation of the site conditions and inventory Brownfield’s site in accordance with EPA standards. The assessment includes site reconnaissance, the review of records such as directories and Sanborn fire insurance maps, state and municipal files, and an environmental database search. CDW evaluated studies on geology, topography, natural landforms and bedrock features. Previous subsurface investigations and remediation reports were reviewed as well as the information obtained through record searches. At sites where buildings exist, an exterior visual survey was conducted and included an inventory of suspect hazardous substances that may be stored or used on site, suspect asbestos containing building material (ACM), mold, PCBs, and suspect lead-based paint (LBP). CDW compiled the data and inventories into a Summary Report, which identified those areas where more targeted assessment, including subsurface investigation work, may be warranted based upon preliminary findings and potential future uses.