While an Environmental Use Restriction (EUR) can be an
incredibly useful (and, often times, a cost-effective) tool in
connection with cleaning up contaminated properties, it is
important to understand that EURs are rarely as easy to apply or as
inexpensive (particularly in the long term) as one might
expect.
For those that may not have had the "pleasure" of
dealing with or applying for an EUR, EURs are institutional
controls (i.e., site use and/or activity limitations that are
placed on the land records) used to minimize the risk to the
environment of, or human exposure to, pollutants by prohibiting
certain activities, including, e.g., residential activities, use of
groundwater as a drinking source, or demolition of a building,
pavement or other permanent structure used to cap contaminated
soil. In general, the purpose of an EUR is to help a property
achieve compliance with the applicable cleanup standards (known in
Connecticut as the Remediation Standard
