The Andujar Park Site is located at Erie and Point Streets in North Camden. The Site comprises approximately 1.5 acres across Block 12, Lots 1, 3-9, and 18-21 (Northern portion) and Block 14, Lots 29-35, and 37 (Southern portion). The various tax parcels that comprise the park formerly operated as several industrial uses. These included boat building, bottling, and leather tanning, from prior to 1885 until the 1970s on the northern portion, and automotive repair operations from the 1920s until the 1990s on the southern portions. The subject site is a park containing a baseball field, basketball court, and play area located in a mixed use industrial and residential portion of Camden, New Jersey. The park has been closed since the completion of Preliminary Assessment (PA) and Site Investigation (SI) activities were conducted on the site in 2019.
A Preliminary Assessment (PA) inspection was completed in June 2018. Subsequent assessment activities conducted on the site in 2019 using a CRA 2013 EPA Brownfield Assessment grant identified 18 “Areas of Concerns” or AOCs with potential to adversely impact soil and groundwater at the site. A total of 17 of the AOCs required further investigation. A Site Investigation (SI) was completed in August 2019 to investigate the 17 AOCs. Historic fill material is impacted with lead, mercury, arsenic, dieldrin, beryllium, benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, and benzo(b)fluoranthene. An approximately 10,000‐gallon heating oil UST is located under the right field portion of the baseball field on Block 12, Lot 1. Stained soils and soils impacted with EPH were identified adjacent to the UST. Individual contaminants related to the UST release include benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzene, and 2‐methylnaphthalene. Removal of the UST and petroleum impacted soils is necessary. Elevated levels of hexavalent chromium ( a known contaminant from tannery operations) were detected below the former tannery building. Additional remedial investigation for hexavalent chromium impacts is necessary. Surficial soils around the former coal storage yard are impacted with lead, mercury, cadmium, benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, and dibenz(a,h)anthracene. Previous surficial samples returned elevated levels of dibenzo(a,h)anthracene, indeno(1,2,3‐ cd)pyrene, enzo(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, arsenic, and PCBs. Additional surficial investigation of soils is necessary.
The CRA secured a State Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Program grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Economic Development Authority. In addition, the CRA will utilize up to $200,000 in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) monies for the site’s cleanup and subsequent improvements for open public space, green infrastructure and recreational ballfields.
The Site’s environmental documentation is available below. For more information, contact Olivette Simpson, Interim Executive Director at OlSimpso@ci.camden.nj.us or Alison Devine at adevine@brsinc.com.