'Brownfield' Sites Clean Up Effort by Norristown Applauded by EPA

Norristown was once a thriving industrial hub and though that industry has primarily moved on, some unpleasant remnants of it remain in the form of brownfields – former industrial or commercial sites that are environmentally contaminated.

Last fall, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded Norristown $400,000 in grants to help with the assessment and cleanup effort for sites potentially contaminated with petroleum and other hazardous materials. Norristown has reportedly compiled a list of several sites (like the old Nicolet building in the 600 block of East Washington Street) and is working to determine where best to start with redevelopment efforts.

"We have cataloged most of the locations and will determine which are most feasible for development," Council President Gary Simpson said, according to Philly.com. The full list of has not been officially released yet. The idea is to rehabilitate the brownfield sites to prepare them for redevelopment.

On Tuesday, representatives of the EPA, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and U.S. Representative Allyson Schwartz (D-13) visited Norristown to applaud the municipality's revitalization efforts in these areas.  

"Brownfields initiatives demonstrate how environmental protection and economic development work hand-in-hand," said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin in a release to the press. "Once brownfields properties are assessed, cleaned up and redeveloped, communities like Norristown can turn once blighted properties into environmentally safe and productive locations that are ideal for attracting businesses to stimulate the local economy."

"It’s the start of the revitalization along riverfront and other spaces across Norristown," said Schwartz, according to The Times Herald. "I look forward to coming back when we start to see some shovels in the ground for the cleanup and even better, when we see those shovels in the ground for economic development here in Norristown."

Learn more about the brownfield grants awarded to Norristown here.