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| Back to Contents Intro Place Master Plan Project Phasing | |
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EXISTING CONDITION
The Meadowlands is home to many species of
aquatic plants and animals. Key species
NJMC’s goal is to protect, rehabilitate, manage, and preserve habitats within The Meadowlands District. Currently the Commission has several projects underway that focus on the environmental health of the land within their control which will help promote the return of key species to the area. The sustained biodiversity of The Meadowlands is contingent on the cleanup and control of the existing site. Currently, NJMC operates only one of the
many landfills that were active. Of the landfills managed by the
Commission, four are located within the project site. These inactive
land-fills continue to be a contributing factor in the decline of animal
and plant Back to Contents Intro Place Master Plan Project Phasing Wetlands restoration is an integral part of the development program for the EnCap site. Using phytoremediation tech-niques, a 52-acre site along the existing haul road is slated for environmental improvements that will help to revitalize the marsh and improve animal habitat. The goals of the project are as follows: • Use phytoremediation to enhance the biodegradation of heavy metal contaminants and reduce potential ground water migration of contaminants into adjacent wetlands • Enhance the visual experience along the Haul Road (Meadow Drive) into the proposed development • Prevent soil erosion along the bank of Meadow Drive. A vegetative cover is proposed for the entire area. Plant species selected are a combination of species successful in phytoremediation and plant species native to the area. Phytoremediation is proposed to absorb heavy metals contained in the ground water using plants and their associated microbes.
Back to Contents Intro Place Master Plan Project Phasing
LANDFILL CLOSURE, REMEDIATION & WETLAND ENHANCEMENT Phase 1 of the Meadowlands Golf Redevelopment Project will be constructed on four landfills; Avon Landfill, Kingsland Park Sanitary Landfill, Lyndhurst Landfill, and Rutherford Landfill. In establishing a golf-oriented development on former landfills, the development plan seeks to close and mitigate the landfills to create an economically productive reuse and to restore 52 acres of sensitive wetlands; thus addressing all three of the NJMC’s mandates. The first phase will achieve NJMC’s mandates for effective
management of solid waste and environmental enhancement through closure
and remediation of four landfills encompassed by the project. Landfill
remediation activities will significantly improve the environment
surrounding the landfills and provide beneficial reuse of material dredged
from the New York/New Jersey Harbor. With New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection oversight, these landfill remediation activities
will include The landfills will be closed and remediated using several approved methods. The cap will be a multilayer, engineered cover system comprised of grading and shaping fill (processed dredge material or recyclables), a barrier layer of processed dredge material (PDM) or geosynthetic materials, a layer of vegetative material and a layer of growth medium. In some cases, a vertical hydraulic barrier (VHB) wall will be installed around the landfill and a leachate management system (LMS) will be installed within the landfill. This system will greatly reduce the flow of landfill leachate into the surface water and surrounding wetland habitat. In addition, grading and drainage features will be implemented to collect, control, reuse and convey surface water runoff. In order to control the release of methane gas, a passive LFG venting system, with the option for an active LFG venting system across the Avon, Lyndhurst, and Rutherford Landfills, will be installed. An underslab active venting system (USAVS) will be installed, operated, and maintained under all project site structures. |
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found in the area include
striped bass, fiddler crabs, diamond-back terrapin, great blue heron,
osprey, common moorhen, least bittern, and the endangered least tern and
black skimmer.
species. Although their surface is covered with vegetation and they appear
to be green, they are not all properly capped and the adjacent marsh is
not protected from their leachate. Cleanup is a priority of the Commission
and the project team. As part of the development agreement, the project
will not take shape without capping and collection of millions of gallons
of leachate that seep into the adjacent marsh. Proper closure and cleanup
of these landfills will help restore the surrounding marsh and protect the
area from further pollution.
In addition to wildlife
ecosystem benefits, the phytoremediation system is designed to fit the
visual experience of entering the resort community. Trees will be located
to maximize views to the community and wetlands. Street trees will be
placed to provide shade for pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles. The plan
proposes six main areas with large masses of trees extending several
hundred feet. Between the masses, shrubs are grouped in clusters spaced on
average 40’ – 60’ feet apart. A meadow grass seed mix and a marsh seed mix
cover all other open areas. The combination of trees, shrubs and grasses
create a vegetation buffer between the capped areas of the landfill and
haul road and the adjacent wetland.
engineered systems that eliminate potential for human contact with
landfill material and produce significant environmental benefits. Landfill
closure and remediation activities proposed will be performed in
accordance with an approved Remedial Action Work Plan and Closure Plans
(RAW/CPs) and Major Landfill Disruption (MLD) Permits.