MassDEP outlines how residents, cities can identify and remediate brownfields

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection officials told residents that vacant or underused former industrial properties—commonly called brownfields—can pose health and safety risks but also offer opportunities for cleanup, open space and housing when properly assessed and remediated.

At a virtual Q&A, Deneen Simpson, director of environmental justice at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, asked what local people should look for and whom to contact if they suspect a brownfield in their neighborhood. "Brownfields properties are sites that are typically commercial or industrial in the past... and so importantly, it's underutilized," said David Foss, a certified professional geologist and licensed site professional who serves as MassDEP's statewide brownfields coordinator. Foss said underuse can be driven by actual contamination in soil or groundwater, or even by the "perception" that contamination exists, which can stall redevelopment.

The issue matters because neglected sites…