End-use is driving cleanup as both federal and state environmental agencies have okayed remediation that cleans a site to levels suited to particular kinds of reuse. Over the past few years that has opened the door to using land use controls to protect against future exposure to the contamination remaining at the site.

Land use controls are mechanisms used to limit human activities at or near contaminated sites. These controls are designed to ensure the effectiveness of the remedy over time and institutional controls may include the use of structures, land and natural resource use restrictions, the identification of well restriction areas and using deed notices to inform future users of the nature of hazards on the site. Other methods, such as engineering controls, may include caps, covers, dikes, trenches, signs, and fencing. All of these mechanisms are being used at many brownfield redevelopment sites across the country. ...

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