Brownfields are often the legacy of various industrial, commercial, and service-oriented businesses that have ceased operations or relocated, leaving behind underused or abandoned properties.
Understanding Brownfields
A brownfield is an underused or abandoned industrial or commercial property. These sites can range widely, from old factories to vacant warehouses and from defunct gas stations to former dry cleaning establishments. A significant characteristic of many brownfields is that they are contaminated with potentially dangerous waste, posing environmental and health risks.
Specific Business Types Associated with Brownfields
Several specific business sectors are frequently identified with brownfield sites due to the nature of their operations, which often involved the use, storage, or generation of hazardous materials. When these businesses close or relocate without proper environmental remediation, their former sites can become brownfields.
Here are common types of businesses that typically leave behind brownfields:
| Business Category | Common Examples | Characteristics Leading to Brownfields |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial Facilities | Old factories, manufacturing plants, mills, foundries, chemical plants, plating operations, power generation plants | Extensive use of heavy machinery, industrial chemicals, solvents, and fuels. Processes like metalworking, dyeing, and chemical synthesis often lead to the release of contaminants such as heavy metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and petroleum hydrocarbons into the soil and groundwater. |
| Commercial & Storage | Vacant warehouses, distribution centers, large retail spaces, printing facilities | Although not always as intensely contaminated as industrial sites, these can still accumulate hazardous materials from stored goods, vehicle maintenance, or past uses of the property. For example, printing presses use inks and solvents, and warehouses might have spilled chemicals or stored contaminated materials. |
| Service & Retail Establishments | Defunct gas stations, former dry cleaning establishments, auto repair shops, laundromats, agricultural facilities, railroads | Handling of petroleum products (gasoline, diesel, motor oil), solvents (like perchloroethylene used in dry cleaning), waste oils, pesticides, herbicides, and other hazardous chemicals that can leak from underground storage tanks or spill directly onto the ground. |
Why These Businesses Create Brownfields
- Hazardous Material Use: Many industrial and commercial processes rely on chemicals, fuels, and heavy metals that can seep into the soil and groundwater through spills, leaks, or historical disposal practices.
- Waste Management: Improper or outdated waste disposal methods, including direct dumping or insufficient containment, contribute significantly to contamination.
- Abandonment or Underuse: When businesses close, relocate, or become obsolete, properties are often left without proper environmental assessment or remediation, leading to long-term contamination issues.
- Aging Infrastructure: Older facilities may lack modern environmental safeguards, such as secondary containment systems or impermeable barriers, making them more prone to environmental releases.
Understanding these origins is crucial for identifying potential brownfield sites and planning their remediation and redevelopment to revitalize communities and protect the environment. For more information on brownfields and their impact, you can visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfields Program.
