New Kensington officials hope a collaborative program with Westmoreland County will assist in the remediation and revitalization of its brownfields.

The city entered into a Brownfield Revitalization Partnership with the county’s redevelopment authority, Monessen, Jeannette and Trafford, said Clerk John Zavadak.

“(This) will allow each of the participants to utilize any monies received from the EPA to be used in the remediation of environmental issues at industrial sites, like the old ALCOA plant along the river or any other sites where heavy industry was located,” Zavadak said.

“Many of these industries used chemicals that are today considered harmful. This is the type of thing this would allow us to do.”

Westmoreland County was awarded about $1.1 million from the federal government for the program, said Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Brian Lawrence.

The funding would go toward a site assessment process at a real or perceived brownfield anywhere in the county, Lawrence said.

Right now, 11 properties have been identified countywide that are believed by officials to benefit from the site assessment, he said. The funding will not cover all of those properties.

The authority would also need consent from a property’s owner before undergoing an assessment, he said.

Assessing brownfield sites under the program is broken down into phases.

The first phase examines current and historical uses of the site and potential threats to human health or the environment, according to the EPA.

If there’s no evidence of contamination at the site, the next step often is to move forward with potential redevelopment, Lawrence said. If there is, officials would proceed with the second phase, where an environmental professional develops a sampling plan to evaluate the potential presence of contamination from hazardous substances and determines the sources and exposures.

In addition, the assessment also helps determine who is potentially liable for environmental contamination found on a property, according to the EPA.

A completed assessment could make a property more attractive for a potential buyer, Lawrence said.

“We’re grateful for it,” Lawrence said of the program. “It means our community and our county is taking the steps necessary to address brownfields and blighted, vacant and abandoned properties.”

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