By implementing several innovative ideas, the Navy reduced the cost of the removal actions at a hazardous waste site by more than $2 million and created a 1.9-acre wetland area in the process. Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), VA, builds, repairs, and maintains ships for the Navy. As part of these activities, NNSY paints ships and removes existing paint coatings. The paint-removal process produces a waste product called abrasive blasting material (ABM), which often contains hazardous metals, such as lead, chromium, and cadmium. ABM may be classified as hazardous waste when concentrated at high levels. Historically, NNSY disposed of ABM in the New Gosport landfill, which is located near a neighborhood and a Navy Youth Center in Portsmouth, VA. In 1982, low levels of lead were found in the landfill. To prevent human exposure to the material, the Navy graded the site, covered it with clean soil, and planted grass. Although further studies indicated that ABM waste had not significantly affected surrounding soils, there were elevated levels of metal contamination in wetland soil samples downstream of the landfill, and it was decided to remove the material. In the initial stages of the removal action, the Navy's remediation contractor proposed an innovative process that pre-treats the soil to stabilize lead during cleanup. Triple superphosphate was used to pre-treat the soil and stabilize the lead during cleanup, rendering the material non-hazardous and cheaper to dispose of, and yielding a cost avoidance of $1.4 million. Approximately 55,000 tons of ABM and contaminated soil were removed from the site. Other innovative ideas helped save time and money as well. For example, heavy debris contained in the ABM was sifted from the material, cutting costs for transportation and disposal. After the ABM was excavated, in lieu of backfilling the large excavated area with clean fill, the remediation team decided to create a 1.9 acre tidal wetland. The wetland was planted with 18,000 Spartina alterniflora plants and 3,000 Spartina patens plants. The newly created wetland area of native salt marsh plants increased vegetated buffers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. By eliminating the need to backfill the area, the project avoided $750,000 in costs. The removal of the hazardous waste site and the transformation of the property into a thriving wetland were accomplished by June 2001 as part of the Navy's Installation Restoration program with the full support and input of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. EPA.