Contaminated sites are point of contention for environmental justice efforts as their impact is typically unequal in burden. Low-income communities and people of color are disportionately affected by residing within or in close proximity to a contaminated site. The Madison Environmental Resource Inventory (ERI) has an expanding catalog of environmental concerns relating to environmental justice. The location of contaminated sites and the populations they are at risk of harming must be considered to better equip urban planning and development.

Figure 1: Contaminated sites and EJ stressors in Madison, NJ and surrounding areas. Reported data were collected through via feature layers from the NJDEP Bureau of GIS. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of GIS offers public access to maps and feature layers via ArcGIS Online that are pertinent to the environmental status of the state.

There are 18 identified contaminated sites within Madison municipal boundaries, majority of which are moderately severe in nature. The EJ law summary statistics of 2021 suggest stressors measured at 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 13 and 12. These values are higher than most of the state of New Jersey which measures in the 0-8 range. Communities boarding Madison reflect similar trends.

Understanding the relationship between contaminated sites and EJ stressors provides a comprehensive overview of where community needs are a priority in terms of clean-ups, access to clean water, or access to green spaces, to name a few. In terms of Madison, NJ, the center of town near public transit and high traffic shopping areas are where immediate attention is needed. Considering residential areas are exposed to the conditions of contaminated sites, which impact the successful implementation of environmental justice, it is important to adjust municipal planning accordingly.