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Final Cleanup Plan Approved for Cabot Carbon/Koppers Superfund Site in Gainesville, Fla.

Release Date: 02/02/2011
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, [email protected]

(ATLANTA – Feb. 2, 2011) A final cleanup plan, formalized in a document known as the Record of Decision (ROD), has been signed by EPA for the Cabot Carbon/Koppers Superfund Site in Gainesville, Fla. The ROD outlines how the Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) Beazer East will be required to address soil, sediment, groundwater and surface water contamination from the site. EPA will oversee the work to ensure all the cleanup goals are met and, once cleanup is complete, the site will be ready for reuse as commercial, industrial, recreational or mixed-use with a residential component.

EPA undertook a comprehensive four-year public involvement process that included over 22 opportunities for the public to provide input on the agency’s proposed plans, encompassing site tours, participation in City of Gainesville/Alachua County public meetings, public availability sessions and community interviews. The ROD reflects many changes made following receipt of input from the community, as well as the City of Gainesville, the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department, the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. PRP Beazer East has committed to work with local citizens and local government entities to redevelop the site.

To address off- and on-site contamination, the ROD specifies:

• Nearby residential and commercial properties where soil contamination is indentified will be cleaned up to the most conservative standard based on appropriate land use (e.g., residential properties will be cleaned up to meet stringent residential standards).
• The sediment from contaminated hot spots along Hogtown and Springstead Creeks will be excavated, removed and replaced with clean sediment, and the recovery of the creeks will be monitored.
• An impermeable engineered cap will be placed over the contaminated soil consolidation area on the site.
• A 65-foot deep vertical barrier wall will be installed below the engineered cap that will encompass the four source areas of contamination.
• Within the former Process Area and South Lagoon source areas, chemical treatment injections will be used that react with contaminants to reduce, encapsulate and solidify them.
• Within the North Lagoon and Drip Track Area source areas, subsurface soils will be mixed with a solidifying agent to a depth of 65-feet to prevent contaminants from leaching into groundwater.
• In the deeper portions of the Hawthorn Aquifer, chemical treatment will be used to render contaminated groundwater harmless.
• In the Upper Floridan Aquifer, where Gainesville’s drinking water is withdrawn, contaminated groundwater will be pumped, treated and discharged into the Gainesville Regional Utility wastewater treatment plant.
• Additional monitoring wells will be installed throughout the Upper Floridan Aquifer and sampled regularly to effectively monitor conditions within the aquifer. Should conditions change, additional containment and treatment of contaminated groundwater will take place.
• A minimum of two feet of clean soil will be placed over all impacted soils on the property to prevent direct contact and support reuse.