About – Lake Success

Background

Rich in history, the land encompassing Lake Success in Bridgeport and Stratford, Connecticut, played a key role in the industrial revolution throughout the twentieth century. From 1905 until 1989, Remington Arms used the Lake Success property to test large- and small-caliber munitions manufactured in Bridgeport. Today, the property is owned by Sporting Goods Properties, Inc., a subsidiary of Corteva Agriscience, the successor to DuPont and Remington Arms.

The Lake Success property includes 419 acres of land. The main entrance to the property is located off Asylum Street in Bridgeport. A second entrance is located on Broadbridge Avenue near its intersection with Broadmere Road in Stratford. It has three distinct land features: former industrial areas, densely wooded sections containing rich wildlife habitat, and the 23-acre Lake Success for which the property is named.

Future Opportunity

A unique opportunity exists to create a harmonious balance between people and nature. This project will benefit Bridgeport and Stratford by conserving open space, funding its maintenance and protection through renewable energy, and providing environmental education opportunities to a wide range of local citizens, school groups, and others. You can read more about the Reuse Vision here

Corrective Measures

SGP has made considerable progress investigating and addressing onsite impacts resulting from past industrial uses, and cleanup is nearing completion. All corrective measures are performed under Administrative Consent Orders with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP). Both USEPA and CTDEEP provide oversight of the corrective measures remedy selection and implementation.

The remediation of Lake Success and soil on the property was completed in accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Activities included the removal of unexploded ordnance and materials related to the past manufacturing and testing of large- and small-caliber munitions.

Groundwater is monitored and sampled on a regular basis to ensure conditions do not present a risk to the community. In addition, the entire property is subject to an environmental land use restriction (ELUR) prohibiting future residential use, which has been in place since 1999. Active remediation is expected to be complete in early 2026. Some restrictions on land use and long-term monitoring and maintenance will continue indefinitely.