Preparing Contaminated Sites for Climate Change: A Comparison of NJDEP and DTSC Approaches

Introduction

As climate change accelerates, regulators across the United States are rethinking how contaminated sites are managed to prevent environmental releases during extreme events. Two recent documents—NJDEP’s guidance on preparedness for extreme weather and DTSC’s framework for addressing sea level rise (SLR) at contaminated sites—highlight how state agencies are tackling similar challenges through different regional lenses.

This article compares the two approaches, drawing lessons for environmental professionals, property owners, and remediation managers.

NJDEP: Extreme Weather Preparedness in New Jersey

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) emphasizes preparedness for sudden, catastrophic events such as hurricanes, floods, and power outages.

Key elements of their guidance include:

• Focus on Vapor Mitigation Systems: NJDEP highlights risks from power outages that disable vapor mitigation systems, recommending distribution of fact sheets to property owners.

• Preventing New Discharges: Responsible parties and Licensed Site Remediation Professionals (LSRPs) must ensure remediation systems remain operational before, during, and after weather events.

• Post-Event Evaluations: After extreme weather, sites should be re-evaluated for changed conditions, new environmental concerns, and receptor impacts.

• Emergency Reporting: All discharges of hazardous substances must be reported to the DEP Hotline.

• Technical Resources: NJDEP provides technical guidance on “Planning for and Response to Catastrophic Events at Contaminated Sites,” encouraging proactive planning.

In short, NJDEP is focused on immediate resilience measures—maintaining system functionality and responding rapidly to storm-driven disruptions.

DTSC: Long-Term Sea Level Rise Adaptation in California

By contrast, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) takes a strategic, long-term planning approach, recognizing that sea level rise and groundwater rise will permanently alter site conditions.

Highlights of DTSC’s framework include:

• Guidance for Project Managers: Internal guidance ensures that SLR is addressed consistently across cleanup projects, incorporating the latest projections from the Ocean Protection Council.

• SLR Viewer Tool: A statewide mapping tool shows inundation risks and groundwater rise, helping assess site vulnerability.

• Resilience Planning Framework: DTSC calls for site vulnerability assessments, prioritization of high-risk sites, and the implementation of adaptive measures with periodic reassessment.

• Collaboration: DTSC coordinates with multiple agencies—from the Coastal Commission to the Water Boards—to align SLR planning.

• Ongoing Actions: Initiatives include a public SLR dashboard, community outreach, a dedicated SLR unit, and refinement of regulatory frameworks.

• Supportive Measures: DTSC promotes the use of best available science, policy initiatives, public grant funding, and development of remedial technologies for sites without responsible parties.

DTSC’s program demonstrates a systematic and proactive approach, integrating climate science and interagency collaboration into remediation planning.

Comparative Analysis

While both agencies address climate-driven risks, their emphases differ significantly:

• Primary Threat

  • NJDEP: Extreme weather events (storms, power outages, flooding)

  • DTSC: Sea level rise and long-term groundwater rise

• Time Horizon

  • NJDEP: Short-term preparedness and emergency response

  • DTSC: Long-term adaptation and resilience planning

• Regulatory Approach

  • NJDEP: Requires immediate readiness and post-event evaluations

  • DTSC: Embeds SLR into cleanup planning and regulatory frameworks

• Tools & Resources

  • NJDEP: Fact sheets, technical guidance, hotline reporting

  • DTSC: SLR Viewer, SLR dashboard, interagency coordination

• Community Focus

  • NJDEP: Property owners with active remediation systems

  • DTSC: Broad stakeholder engagement and policy integration

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Takeaways for Environmental Professionals

• Plan for Both Horizons: Environmental practitioners should balance short-term readiness (storm preparation, power continuity, rapid reporting) with long-term resilience planning (site vulnerability to SLR, adaptive management).

• Leverage Guidance Tools: NJDEP’s catastrophic event planning resources and DTSC’s SLR mapping tools are valuable beyond their states and can inform best practices nationally.

• Engage Stakeholders: Collaboration with property owners, agencies, and communities ensures that contingency and adaptation measures are realistic and effective.

• Anticipate Regulatory Evolution: Both NJDEP and DTSC are advancing frameworks that will likely shape future national standards for climate-resilient site remediation.

Conclusion

The NJDEP and DTSC documents represent two complementary approaches to the same overarching challenge: protecting human health and the environment from contaminated sites in a changing climate. NJDEP teaches us how to prepare for the storm tomorrow, while DTSC reminds us to prepare for the shoreline decades from now. Together, they provide a roadmap for environmental professionals seeking to safeguard communities and ecosystems against both immediate and future risks.

References

Please refer to the "Planning for and Response to Catastrophic Events at Contaminated Sites" technical guidance for additional information regarding responding to potential impacts from extreme weather in New Jersey.

Please refer to the DTSC SLR website for a more in depth look at Site Mitigation as it relates to Sea Level Rise in California.