EPA Awards Remediation Funding for Future Field Station Site

On May 20, we were thrilled to join U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), and Mayor Cherelle Parker for the announcement of new EPA funds to support environmental remediation of the 49th Street Terminal, a former oil terminal located just north of the Garden’s public dock.

The funds awarded to our partner Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) will spur the assessment and remediation of the riverfront site, which spans slightly less than an acre and is currently contaminated with lead and and semi-volatile organic compounds after decades of industrial use. Once the land has been remediated, plans will advance for major new riverfront developments: the Garden’s new Field Station & Welcome Center, complete with a realignment of the Bartram’s Mile Trail to the newly accessible riverfront, and a portion of PIDC’s Lower Schuylkill Biotech Campus.

Speaking at the event, Executive Director Maitreyi Roy noted, “Safe and clean land opens up opportunities for new businesses, green spaces, and community projects . . . . Our neighborhood will thrive, not just survive. The powerful message is that no community should bear the brunt of environmental degradation and that everyone deserves to live in a safe and healthy environment.”

Learn more about the event and the EPA’s national brownfield remediation program in recent news coverage from the Philadelphia Inquirer, WHYY, the Guardian, and Delaware Currents.