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Richard J. Katz

Richard J. Katz
Associate of Integral

Richard J. Katz

Associate of Integral

Mr. Richard Katz has extensive knowledge of, and technical and administrative expertise in, the effects and control of toxic substances, air pollution abatement, solid and hazardous waste management, and related environmental analyses gained over 56 years in the field. His education and experience have provided him with special knowledge of most of the federal and New Jersey statutes and regulations formulated during that period. He has worked directly on an extensive number of projects, ranging from Phase I Environmental Site Assessments to complex property evaluations and large Environmental Cleanup Responsibility Act (ECRA), now known as the Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA), and CER...

Mr. Richard Katz has extensive knowledge of, and technical and administrative expertise in, the effects and control of toxic substances, air pollution abatement, solid and hazardous waste management, and related environmental analyses gained over 56 years in the field. His education and experience have provided him with special knowledge of most of the federal and New Jersey statutes and regulations formulated during that period. He has worked directly on an extensive number of projects, ranging from Phase I Environmental Site Assessments to complex property evaluations and large Environmental Cleanup Responsibility Act (ECRA), now known as the Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA), and CERCLA remedial actions. He has personally conducted environmental property assessments in seven states and five foreign countries, evaluating the operations and onsite conditions of a wide variety of manufacturing and commercial operations.

Mr. Katz was in the first group of consultants to qualify as a licensed site remediation professional (LSRP). He is a founding member of the LSRP Association and served on the first LSRPA board of trustees as the board secretary. He retired his license in 2021 to allow him to pursue a wider range of project management opportunities.

During a period of 13 years with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), Mr. Katz was involved in the initial work creating various bureaus, including the Bureau of Air Pollution Control, the Program on Environmental Cancer and Toxic Substances, the Bureau of Engineering Review and Permits, and the Bureau of Industrial Site Evaluation (ECRA office). He also chaired NJDEP’s Superfund Applications Task Force, which resulted in the State of New Jersey ranking as first for the potential receipt of federal funds for site remediation activities.

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Site Remediation

Gasoline Station, Sparta, New Jersey Served as the LSRP of record for the preliminary assessment, site investigation, remedial investigation, and post-demolition remedial action conducted for a gasoline station. The work entailed evaluation and cleanup of both soil and groundwater, resulting in issuance of an unrestricted use, sitewide response action outcome.
Athletic Field, Bloomfield, New Jersey Oversaw the work involved in the installation of a modern athletic field, ensuring the underlying historical fill material was properly handled and disposed, with the site now addressed through engineering and institutional controls. Accomplished similar results at playing fields owned by the boards of education in both the Pequannock and Hillside townships in New Jersey.
Cemetery, Union, New Jersey Retained as the LSRP to investigate groundwater contamination identified beneath a cemetery. Careful research into surrounding locations identified the problem as an areawide issue, and the matter was closed.
Chemical Manufacturer, Jersey City, New Jersey For a developer in northern New Jersey, served as the LSRP for the conversion of a highly contaminated former chemical facility into a residential high-rise building. The work involved containment of the entire property to eliminate groundwater migration, installation of a presumptive remedy to preclude vapor intrusion, and imposition of institutional and engineering controls related to the underlying historical fill material.
Shopping Center, Bergenfield, New Jersey While evaluating a strip shopping center, investigated and documented the underlying groundwater contamination originating from an offsite source. The site is also underlain by soils contaminated with PAHs that were addressed through engineering and institutional controls.
Former Electronics Manufacturer, Jersey City, New Jersey Retained by a major New York financial institution as its LSRP of record for a residential development. Oversaw the original investigation, with resulting actions including extensive soil removal and groundwater treatment through the in situ injection of ozone. The groundwater issue was resolved, and the remaining historical fill is the subject of engineering and institutional controls.

Brownfields Redevelopment

Former Mill, Paterson, New Jersey Reviewed the site of a former mill for redevelopment into residential use for the purchaser. The work involved a review of historical documents that identified the presence of historical fill within an abandoned mill race that was beneath the building. The full site evaluation identified the historical fill as the only area of concern (AOC), and the matter was closed through the imposition of engineering and institutional controls.
Parking Lot, Hoboken, New Jersey Supervised the remediation of a former fuel oil terminal that had been converted into a parking lot and was up for sale for redevelopment. Oversaw the removal of numerous >1,000-gal tanks and the cleanup of affected soil and groundwater.
Sanitary Landfill, Edison, New Jersey Led the quality assurance inspector team for the resettlement of a major landfill. This appointment was made with the approval of NJDEP. Monitored the movement of more than 1,000,000 tons of debris and soil from points outside the retaining wall to a more secure location within it.

Site Investigation

Solid Waste Transfer Station, Newark, New Jersey Supervised a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment at a defunct solid waste transfer station under contract of sale. Was retained as the LSRP to address several of the numerous AOCs identified during the Phase I assessment.
Housing Development, Newark, New Jersey Evaluated the environmental conditions related to a Section 8 housing project that was undergoing refinancing. The site had been purchased from the City of Newark in “shovel-ready” condition, and a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment performed by another consulting firm had given the site a largely clean bill of health. After reviewing historical documents, recommended a subsurface survey of the property that identified the presence of 31 underground storage tanks previously associated with the property. Further investigation demonstrated that only four of those tanks were within the existing property boundaries. Those tanks were removed and remediated, allowing the refinancing to take place.
Roofing Supplier, Trenton, New Jersey A site, that previously was part of a major manufacturing facility, is situated within a groundwater classification exception area (CEA) that remains the responsibility of the former operator. Evaluated the situation because the owner was in the process of selling the now-subdivided section and the CEA had lain fallow for nearly two decades. Oversaw the installation of groundwater monitoring wells and a vapor intrusion investigation that showed the issue to be moot, closing out the matter with an unrestricted use, sitewide response action outcome.
Machine Shop, Cinnaminson, New Jersey Conducted an Industrial Site Recovery Act review of a small machine shop. The operator had removed an underground storage tank some years beforehand without documenting the post-excavation conditions sufficiently to satisfy the requirements of the existing regulations. Oversaw collection of the appropriate samples that proved the underlying soil to be uncontaminated, and the case was closed by issuance of an unrestricted use, sitewide response action outcome.

Litigation Support

Plastic Bag Manufacturer, South Plainfield, New Jersey Worked with the legal team and provided expert testimony before the municipal authorities regarding installation of a multimegawatt solar array. Resolved the issue by arranging a conversation with NJDEP and the borough engineer.
Church, Pennsauken, New Jersey Served as an expert witness in a New Jersey Superior Court case related to title insurance claims on a previous manufacturing site occupied by a church. Following the submittal of expert reports, the case was settled to the satisfaction of the client just prior to trial.
Tire Distributor, Linden, New Jersey Provided expert testimony on a site that was previously a manufacturing facility that had been converted into a tire distributorship. The litigation was based on the failure to close on the part of the purchaser, with that party’s consultant claiming the presence of contamination. Oversaw work to evaluate the results of the purchaser’s consultant and found the results to be unreproducible. Following testimony in New Jersey Superior Court, the judge’s ruling stated that he was more credible than the other consultant, and the client was awarded the full amount of the claim.
Warehouse, Asbury Park, New Jersey Reviewed Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessment reports from a New Jersey environmental firm when the owner then attempted to sell the property. The firm’s work was found to be substandard, with several AOCs either ignored or overlooked by the original contractor. Later served as an expert and filed several reports detailing the shortcomings of the work. A third-party consultant was retained to both review the existing work and conduct additional sampling. That work fully supported the latest determination, and the case was settled using an estimate of future costs rather than that of the original consulting firm.
Residence, Roslyn, Pennsylvania Provided expert testimony in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas regarding a discharge from a heating oil tank that adversely affected the next-door neighbor. Testified regarding the responsibility of the parties to remediate the affected neighbor’s home when the defendant’s counsel asked for a meeting in chambers. The case was settled with an agreement favorable to the client.
Glass Manufacturer, Mount Laurel, New Jersey Provided testimony before the Planning Board of Mount Laurel, New Jersey, regarding the use and handling of hazardous materials for a planned expansion of a glass manufacturing plant. Following the testimony, the expansion was approved by the board.
Chemical Manufacturer, New Jersey A developer in North Jersey filed suit against a seller based on the existence of contamination and the seller’s refusal to return a deposit. Was deposed regarding the overall environmental conditions. The parties later agreed to complete the sale based on an estimate of $1.6 million to remediate the property.
Car Dealership, Pennsylvania Sampling conducted at an automobile dealership in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, was challenged by a consultant working for the prospective buyer, who claimed that the level of work and its cost were excessive. Acted as the third-party consultant to review the differing positions on the efficacy of the work. Determined that the original remedial activities had not exceeded the level of “standard practice.” The case was settled, but sealed, and the resulting settlement seemed to satisfy the client.
Office Building, Clifton, New Jersey Evaluated perceived shortcomings in a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment that was conducted nearly two decades prior to the then-pending sale of a property. A more recent Phase I assessment found several recognized environmental conditions that existed at the time of the first evaluation but were claimed by the consultant that conducted the work to have been outside the “standard practice” for such an assessment at the time. Provided an expert report comparing that work with the previous and subsequent versions of the ASTM International standard.
Boat Yard, Jersey City, New Jersey Reviewed the varying estimates in an eminent domain case involving the taking of a property in Jersey City. The final decision was not provided, but was hired additional times by the same attorney.
Vacant Land, Old Bridge, New Jersey Served as a third-party expert to review competing estimates of the cost to remediate a portion of property planned for taking by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The final determination remains unknown, but results were deemed positive by the client.
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