Over 80 years of zinc smelting operations at the Palmerton Zinc Superfund Site left surface soils, shallow groundwater, and stream sediments contaminated with heavy metals. Large quantities of zinc, lead, cadmium, and sulfur dioxide emitted by two former zinc smelters from the late 1800s to 1980 damaged vegetation and defoliated over 2,000 acres of land. With no plants to keep the soil in place, erosion of contaminated soil impacted the nearby Lehigh River and Aquashicola Creek. To stabilize the contaminated soil, the site was revegetated using a variety of ecological revitalization techniques that evolved over time and took into consideration up-to-date technologies. Revegetation has stabilized the treated area, reduced soil erosion, and improved water quality associated with runoff from the site. A 450-acre portion of the site is now filled with warm-season grasses and is the home of the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, where both wildlife and the public are able to enjoy the lush open space.

This is the story of the transformation of a former chemical manufacturing site into thriving wetland, prairie, and woodland habitat. The closure of Occidental Chemical Corporation (Oxy) facility in Montague, Michigan in 1983 left behind soil and ground water contaminated with chlorinated organic chemicals. Habitat preservation is an Oxy corporate principle so after meeting the EPA cleanup standards they also provided an ecological asset for the community. The surrounding countryside is a mix of hardwood forests, pine plantations, dunes and grasslands, homes, summer cottages, beaches and towns, in the Lake Michigan basin. Rather than leave a brownfield in its wake, a few individuals at Oxy spearheaded the transformation of the former chemical manufacturing site into a thriving prairie, savannah, woodland, and wetland habitat. The restoration plans included amending soils, creating wetlands, and planting native grasses, shrubs, and trees as well as long-term stewardship activities and the creation of recreational opportunities.

The West Page Swamp was once used as a tailings repository for a mill that processed zinc and lead ore. The soil material consisted of highly contaminated lead and zinc tailings, materials so toxic that the swamp showed no evidence of ecosystem function. Remediation included constructing a cap over the soil. The cap consisted of biosolids, compost and wood ash. This cap was sufficient to reduce both accessibility and bioavailability of the underlying tailings and restore ecosystem function, characteristic of a naturally occurring wetland to the site. The wetland is now fully functioning and a wildlife habitat.

The Atlas Tack Superfund site is a former manufacturing facility where the ground water was contaminated with cyanide and toluene, and the soil was contaminated with volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Cleanup activities at the site focused on the removal of buildings, contaminated soil, and sediment. The cleanup preserved as much of the wetland sediment as possible and provided the necessary mix of fresh and salt water sources to create a functioning wetland, in addition to protecting human health and the environment.

The Army Creek Landfill site is a 47 acre abandoned sand and gravel quarry that was used as a municipal and industrial waste landfill for over nine years. The soil and groundwater were contaminated with chromium, mercury, and volatile organic compounds. Remediation activities at the site included a multi-layer protective cover and a groundwater treatment system. In addition, native vegetation was planted to create a bird and wildlife habitat, and wetlands were created to help prevent flooding and create additional habitat.

While once fertile farm land, a 6,000 hectare area was strip mined for its coal. The mine spoils consisted primarily of unconsolidated overburden soils and consolidated materials such as shale or sandstone bedrock. In 1972 the WRD divided the land into two large parcels according to spoil type plus control areas. At first liquid biosolids (4% solids) were applied directly to the mine spoils. Later the solids content was increased to 60 to 70%. Over time the net carbon (C) sequestration in the soil increased to 1.73 (0.54-3.05) Mg C ha^-1 yr^-1 in biosolids-amended fields as compared with -0.07 to 0.17 Mg C ha^-1 yr^-1 in fertilizer controls. The area has been returned to fertile agricultural land and is classified as a C-sink soil as opposed the normal Midwest Corn Belt soils' C-neutral classification.

Past disposal practices at the Joint Expeditionary Base (JEB) Little Creek - Fort Story site along the Chesapeake Bay area in Virginia Beach, Virginia, left a tidal wetlands area filled with debris, contaminated soil, and sediment. After waste materials were excavated, the landfill was converted to a tidal wetland. Two connecting channels were constructed to allow tidal inundation of the site from Little Creek Cove. Plants were selected and planted along designated elevations to establish native tidal wetland vegetation for habitat, using the neighboring marsh as a reference wetland.