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Program HigHligHts
TheNorthCarolinaBrowneldsProgramhassignedabrowneldsagreement,settingthestagefortheredevelopmentoftheformerEcustaPaperMill
nearBrevard.Themillbeganoperationin1939andwasatonetimeoneofthelargestpapermillsinthesoutheast.Thisistherstofsevenplanned
browneldsagreementsthatwilleventuallycover540acresofpropertywithan$800millionmixeduseredevelopment.Theclosureofthehistoric
Ecusta Mill led to 2,300 layoffs and the planned development will regenerate nearly 2,000 jobs� The agreement marked a milestone for the North
CarolinaBrowneldsProgramasthe200th brownfields agreement since program inception� This agreement is the culmination of cooperative efforts
between numerous environmental programs within the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Comprehensive
Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) pre-remedial and removal programs of EPA Region 4� The abandonment of the mill
in 2003 resulted in shutdowns of various environmental systems and threatened uncontrolled releases into the Davidson River� Davidson River Village
signed an administrative order on consent to conduct assessment and cleanup activities and has been active in the demolition and cleanup of the mill for
three years� Cleanup of several portions of the property are complete or nearing completion, ongoing monitoring will continue through the redevelopment
of the property� The brownfields agreement will provide institutional control provisions that will protect public health and the environment on the first tract
slated for redevelopment� It is the first in a series of seven planned agreements for various tracts on the property�
The property will be redeveloped into Davidson River Village, a large mixed use redevelopment to include residential, retail, hospitality, and open
space uses with strong acknowledgement of the mill history for the local community
otHEr land Programs
Underground Storage Tanks (UST) Program
http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/wm/ust
Dry-cleaning Solvent Cleanup Act (DSCA) Program
http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/wm/dsca
Program ElEmEnts
Methods/Standards/Controls
UndertheBrowneldsProgram,becausetheprogramonlyworkswithnon-causativeprospectivedevelopers,sitecleanupisrequiredonlyto
the extent necessary to make the site safe for intended reuse or the permanence of the agreement is threatened by uncontrolled migration
of contaminants� Site-specific, risk-based cleanup standards and land use restrictions are used and the authorizing statute provides for their
enforcement by the state, even with general lack of privity�
Atsiteswithsignicantpublicbenetatstake,DENRrecentlyinitiatedaprogram(“ReadyforReuseProgram”)whichDENRworkswithanentity
that cannot establish non-causative status to produce a draft brownfields agreement for a yet unidentified future non-causative prospective developer�
The eligible prospective developer then would be protected upon purchase of the brownfields property� DENR will produce such a Ready for
Reuse Agreement in order to reduce risk at the property and to assist in the marketing of the property for redevelopment to a future non-causative
prospectivedeveloper.However,sucha“ReadyforReuse”browneldsagreementconfersnoliabilityprotectionstotheineligibleentitywithwhom
DENRworkedtoproducetheagreement.UndertheIHSB’sVCP,site-specicrisk-basedstandardscanbeusedatVCPsitesforsoilswherethe
remedy includes land use restrictions and the soils are not a source of ground water contamination� Ground water cleanup under the VCP must meet
state ground water standards unless a demonstration is made and approved that cleanup is technically impracticable� However, risk-based cleanup
levels are now available for ground water at certain qualifying sites� To qualify the property must have primarily been used for the manufacture of a
commercial product or the generation of electricity, the remediating party must demonstrate that the contamination has not and will not migrate off the
property above unrestricted use levels and the release must have been reported to the state prior to March 1, 2011�
Contaminants Covered
UndertheBrowneldsProgram,siteswithexclusivelypetroleumhydrocarboncontaminationfromUndergroundStorageTanks(UST)are
ineligible� Otherwise, all soil and ground water contaminants are eligible, including those properties where non-UST contamination is with
comingledUSTcontamination.TheIHSB’sVCPaddressesonlynon-petroleumhazardoussubstanceandpollutantcontamination.
Institutional Controls (IC)
The North Carolina process assumes that land use restrictions (LUR) will be an integral part of all brownfields agreements where site specific
LURs are developed to coordinate with design footprints and run with the land� Annual LUR compliance updates are required by all brownfields
agreements� Violation of a LUR is a reopener that subjects the violating party to complete cleanup of the site to state environmental standards�
UndertheIHSB’sVCP,LURscanbeusedinrelationtorestrictedusesoilremedies,groundwatercontaminationthatisdeemedimpracticable
to correct, at those sites eligible for risk-based ground water cleanup standards, and where they may otherwise be a necessary part of a
remedy.Perpetualreportingontherestrictivecovenantsisarequirementthatrunswiththeland.TheVCPdoeshavereopenersiftheBranch
finds that false or incomplete information was provided on the site or if there is a violation of the restrictive covenants�
■IC Tracking: For the Inactive Hazardous Sites Program, sites with LURs are tracked in a database�
■IC Oversight:IntheInactiveHazardousSitesProgram,LURsarepartoftheRemedialActionPlan(RAP).
■IC Monitoring:ForboththeIHSB’sVCPandtheBrowneldsProgram,ownersmustsubmitanannualcerticationthatLURsarestillin
place and that the owner is in compliance with their requirements�
ThefollowingWebaddressisadirectlinktotheBrowneldsProgram’spublicdatabasethatmaintainsaninventoryofsites,mapssites,and/ortracks
ICs� This link also provides additional information regarding contaminated sites in the state� http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/wm/bf/projectinventory
Superfund Program
http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/wm/sf