About CSRR

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, public support for a coordinated cleanup effort and pioneering state and federal laws enabled NJDEP to establish a progressive program to address contaminated sites. Beginning with the passage of the New Jersey Spill Compensation and Control Act in 1976, the state initiated the first program in the country for the cleanup of contaminated sites that posed a danger to human health and the environment. This program became a national model. For the first time serious consideration was given to reversing decades of industrial, commercial and household waste mismanagement that resulted in discharges of hazardous substances into the environment.

Remediation of a contaminated site under New Jersey’s cleanup programs includes identifying the source, nature, and extent of contamination at a site, and conducting appropriate cleanup work. Remediation addresses a wide variety of site conditions, ranging from leaking underground home heating oil tanks to large abandoned industrial sites with widespread environmental contamination. Remedial actions most often involve removing the source of contamination and decontaminating soil and water to protect human and ecological health. At times, the remediation involves capping the contaminated area with an impervious material for containment purposes, restricting future use for that property, or both.

As the universe of potentially contaminated sites in New Jersey continued to increase from an original inventory of about 1,200 sites, NJDEP expanded its cleanup efforts to meet the challenges posed by a variety of pollution problems. Contaminated Site Remediation and Redevelopment currently relies primarily on the Water Pollution Control Act, the Spill Compensation and Control Act, the Underground Storage of Hazardous Substances Act, the Industrial Site Recovery Act, the Brownfields and Contaminated Site Remediation Act, and the Site Remediation Reform Act to protect New Jersey’s water, revitalize our communities and protect public health.

In 2009, the Site Remediation Reform Act set forth sweeping changes to the way in which sites are remediated in New Jersey. SRRA established the affirmative obligation for responsible parties to remediate contaminated sites in a timely manner. In order to achieve this goal, SRRA created a category of remediation professionals known as Licensed Site Remediation professionals (LSRP). LSRPs “step into the shoes” of the NJDEP to oversee the remediation of contaminated sites. SRRA requires that the LSRP comply with all remediation statutes and rules and consider NJDEP-developed guidance when making remediation decisions. While the law changed the process of how sites are remediated, it still ensures the same stringent standards required for cleanups remain in effect. NJDEP retains significant authority over the remediation process and ensures that LSRPs comply with all applicable regulations, but the day-to-day management of the site remediation process is overseen by LSRPs. When a remediation subject to SRRA is completed, rather than the DEP issuing a No Further Action (NFA) letter, the LSRP issues a Response Action Outcome (RAO). For more information on the, LSRP program, visit: Overview of the Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) Program [pdf].

The specific functions and responsibilities of CSRR are available at: Division of Remediation Management.

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