State recommends no remediation for Federal St. lot in Milton
Story Location:
523 Federal Street
Milton, DE 19968
United States
A Federal Street property in Milton will not be subject to any remediation requirements following the conclusion of a brownfield investigation by the state. The investigation determined there are no unacceptable risks to potential users of the property.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Remediation Section issued a public notice Dec. 24, inviting public comment on a proposal to clean up 523 Federal St.
The property sits on the corner of Federal and New streets, and is directly across the street from Milton Elementary School.
The site comprises a 3,700-square-foot, one-story commercial building that is currently vacant. It was a sign-making business for a little more than two decades. Prior to that, it had been a gas station since the 1930s. The site also had an automobile repair shop on it for about 40 years. The site is now being redeveloped into a commercial retail marketplace.
The report said there is one known release associated with the site, which took place in 2023 when an underground storage tank was removed. The contaminated soils were excavated, and the results of a test showed soil samples did not exceed acceptable levels.
The report says a brownfield investigation performed on the site in 2024 and 2025 found the soil and groundwater had concentration levels of metal – lead, thallium, cobalt, manganese – exceeding recommended screening levels. However, the report says, a human health risk assessment indicated the groundwater and soil are acceptable for residential use.
“No additional remedial actions are required, as the data collected during the [brownfield investigation] and subsequent risk assessment determined there are no risks to any potential users of the property,” reads a support document prepared by the state called a Proposed Plan of Remedial Action.
The site is connected to public water and sewer, so groundwater is not utilized for drinking water.
The remediation plan was approved as meeting the requirements of the Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act by DNREC staff Dec. 16. A public notice was issued Dec. 24. Comments are due by 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 13.
Documents related to this notice are available for review under the public notice tab on the DNREC website at https://dnrec.delaware.gov/. Written comments should be sent to DNREC, addressed to Project Officer Connor Baker, 391 Lukens Drive, New Castle, DE 19720, or by email to RS_Public_Comments@delaware.gov.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
