Clean up of SeaPoint Industrial Terminal Complex site complete nearly two years early

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The SeaPoint Industrial Terminal Complex, which sits just east of downtown Savannah off President Street, has more than 600 acres of land for development.

But before businesses start building, a cleanup effort of the land and soil had to be completed.

For decades, and going back to the 1950′s, titanium dioxide was produced at the site, which is a chemical commonly used in products like paints, plastics even sunscreen and cosmetics.

And because that chemical remained, even after the industries that produced it shut down, it had to be cleaned up before the site could be used again.

So in 2017, Dulany Industries spearheaded as $38 million, privately funded brownfield cleanup of the site so it could be developed. That cleanup, which was the largest of its kind in the history of the Georgia Brownfields Program is now finished, and nearly two years ahead of schedule.

Carmen Bergman, with Dulany Industries, said, “in large part because of something called the triadic approach. Which means that the U.S. EPA, Georgia EPD, Dulany Industries, environmental trust all sat together around a table and said how do we clean up this site? How do we do this in the best way possible?”

Bergman points out the project was also finished millions under budget.

“The money that was saved in the remediation of the site is actually going to be deployed elsewhere in the country to be able to clean up other sites.”

SeaPoint is expected to generate upwards of $1,700 high-wage jobs, and have an estimated annual impact of nearly a billion dollars.

“That is a big deal for this community, it’s a big deal for east Savannah. And none of that would have been possible if we hadn’t cleaned up the site, remediate it, and return it back to productive use.”

There are three tenants already on site, and for the remaining acreage, Bergman says the land is ready for development today and that SeaPoint is 100% open for business.

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