United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5502G)
EPA520-F-94-001
Fall 1993
vvEPA
Super-fund At Work
Hazardous Waste Cleanup Efforts Nationwide
Brown Wood
Preserving Site Profile
Site Description:
A former wood preserving site
near Live Oak, Florida
Site Size: 55 acres
Primary Contaminants:
Creosote, pentachlorophenol
(PCP), and polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Potential Range of Health
Risks: Acute toxicity or increased
risk of cancer upon direct expo-
sure
Nearby Population Affected:
450 people within 1/2 mile
Ecological Concerns:
The American alligator
Year Listed on NPL: 1983
EPA Region: 4
State: Florida
Congressional District: 2
Water lillies and cypress trees are among the botanical residents of the pond on the
Brown Wood Preserving site.
Success in Brief
Innovative Technology
Used to Restore Environment
At the Brown Wood Preserving site, creosote and other toxic chemi-
cals polluted 55 acres of Suwanee County, Florida. These chemicals
were used for pressure treating lumber and other wood products for
nearly 30 years. Much of the indigenous wildlife disappeared from the
area due to progressive soil and surface water contamination. Together
with the State of Florida, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) investigated the site and negotiated with facility owners for a
comprehensive cleanup. Highlights of the effort included:
• Excavating and solidifying 15,000 tons of creosote sediments and
sludge, and treating 200,000 gallons of lagoon water;
• Selecting bioremediation, an innovative technology, to turn
hazardous contaminants in soil into harmless by-products; and
• Supervising restoration of the environment, enabling resident
plant and animal species to re-inhabit the site.
Cleanup activities costing nearly $2.8 million were funded by the facility
owners under a cooperative settlement agreement, called a consent decree.
The Site Today
Cleanup operations are com-
plete and the area meets federal
and state health standards.
Florida environmental officials
are monitoring the site to ensure
that the area remains safe.
The American alligator and
other wildlife have returned to a
one-acre pond on the site. When
the ground water monitoring
period is complete in June 1994,
EPA will re-assess the effective-
ness of the cleanup.
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Superfund At Work
Brown Wood Preserving, Suwanee County, Florida
Fall 1993
A Site Snapshot
The 55-acre Brown Wood
Preserving site is two miles
west of the town of Live Oak
in North-Central Florida.
The area surrounding the
site is rural, supporting
citrus growers and other
agriculture. A trailer park
for approximately 450
people, homes, businesses,
light industry, a private
airport, and a county storage
yard are located less than
one mile from the site. Four
private wells and the wells
for Live Oak's public water
supply are less than two
miles from the site.
The Brown Wood Preserving
site functioned as a wood treat-
ment facility from the mid-
19408 until 1978. Operators at
The public water supply
for the town of Live Oak is
less than two miles from
the contaminated site
the facility treated timber with
creosote and pentachlorophenol
(PCP) and discharged wastewa-
ter into an open ditch, where it
flowed into a five-acre unlined
reservoir. A three-acre lagoon
on the site also contained 3,000
cubic yards of creosote wastes.
Creosote by-products,
which are polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs), can
cause cancer, and PCP is
acutely toxic. Worker expo-
sure to contaminated soil,
sludges, dusts, and surface
waters could have resulted in
serious health effects, how-
ever, no one has reported any
symptoms to the local health
authorities.
Nevertheless, while wood
treating operations took
place, much of the indigenous
wildlife disappeared from the
area.
Brown Wood Preserving
Site Timeline
• Contamination reported to EPA <
Congress enacts Superfund 4
Wood treatment facility generates and PCP by-products
1940s
1978
1980
Page 2
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Superfund At Work
Brown Wood Preserving, Suwanee County, Florida
Fall 1993
Wood Preserving Operations
Contaminate the Environment
The Brown Wood Preserving
facility pressure-treated timber
products under a series of owners
from 1945 to 1978. The processes
of treating, moving, storing, and
drying lumber thoroughly con-
taminated the soil. An on-site
lagoon periodically flooded, and
stored sludges polluted sandy
areas throughout the site.
In 1980, Congress enacted the
Superfund law with a primary
aim of cleaning up the nation's
hazardous waste sites, particu-
larly those like Brown Wood. In
1981, a former facility owner
notified EPA of hazardous waste
on the site. An inspection by EPA
and the Florida Department of
Environmental Regulation
(FDER) in 1982 confirmed that
contaminated soil, sludge and
surface water presented a serious
environmental threat. In 1983,
EPA added the site to the Na-
tional Priorities List (NPL), a
Contaminated soil,
sludge, and surface water
presented a serious
environmental threat
roster of hazardous waste sites
eligible for cleanup under the
Superfund program.
Preliminary site studies to
identify the extent of the contami-
nation began later that year. EPA
and FDER jointly tested neighbor-
ing private wells and took
samples from various locations on
site. These samples showed that
hazardous chemicals had polluted
surface water and soil, but had
not affected the ground water.
Later in 1983, EPA investigated
and issued notices to companies
and individuals who had contrib-
uted wastes to the site. EPA
negotiated with these parties to
conduct studies to determine
long-term cleanup alternatives
Sampling and investigations
continued at the site until 1986
under a consent order with the
Brown Wood Foundation and
AMEX, two former site owners.
r
EPA and FDER conduct preliminary site studies
Site listed on NPL
Facility owners begin site investigations
Studies completed
EPA selects cleanup method
Fadllty owners conduct preliminary removal
Cleanup plan negotiated; work begins
r
Site monitoring begins
Cleanup completed
P>' Site dttet@d from
1982 1983
1987 1988 1989
1991
1994
Page 3
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Superfund At Work
Brown Wood Preserving, Suwanee County, Florida
FalM 993
Preliminary Removal
Stabilizes Site
Under EPA supervision, the
owners then excavated and
removed off site 15,000 tons of
creosote sediments and sludge
and treated 200,000 gallons of
lagoon water. Buildings and
processing equipment also were
demolished and removed at this
time, along with an abandoned
railroad track. These activities
continued from December 1987
through March 1988 and elimi-
nated a large portion of the site
contaminants.
EPA Chooses An Innovative
Technology for Soil Cleanup
In 1988, EPA selected a plan for
comprehensive cleanup from
among the alternatives developed
by the site owners. The preferred
remedy was presented at a public
meeting to members of the com-
munity who were asked to com-
ment on the cleanup plan.
EPA selected a new technology
called bioremediation to treat
contaminated soil. In this process,
certain bacteria are injected into
the soil which "eat" and break
down the contaminants into
harmless by-products, neutraliz-
Bioremediation
uses bacteria to "eat"
contaminants,
neutralizing their
hazardous properties
ing their hazardous properties.
Because the site was the first in the
state to use this technology, EPA
decided to closely monitor the
work. If no substantial progress
was made to neutralize contami-
nants within two years, bioreme-
diation would be abandoned in
favor of another method.
Once this plan was formally
approved, EPA negotiated an
agreement called a consent decree
Brown Wood Preserving
Suwanee County, FL
for the bioreme-
diation remedy.
The site owners
then undertook
design and construction
activities required to per-
manently clean up the site.
Engineering designs for the
project began in May 1988 and
were completed eight months
later. Initial activities included
erecting a fence and installing a
surface drainage network and
irrigation system for the treat-
ment area.
The bioremediation method
proved successful and soil treat-
ment was completed in 1991.
Grasses and plants have grown
back over the treatment area. A
monitoring system is in place to
ensure the continued safety of the
aquifer, even though ground
water contamination levels re-
main at acceptable levels.
Bioremediation: Using Bacteria to Neutralize Contaminants
Air, oxygen or Nutrient
hydrogen added
Microorganisms peroxide added
injected
Highly contaminated soil
Microorganisms
"eat" contaminants
in soil
Contaminants decomposed through biological activity,
then converted to carbon dioxide and water
Page 4
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Superfund At Work
Brown Wood Preserving, Suwanee County, Florida
Fall 1993
The 'Gators Come Back:
Re-Emeiging Wildlife Test Cleanup's Effectiveness
The American alligator is found in coastal
plains from North Carolina to Texas, inhabiting
lowland rivers, lakes, and marshes.
Before human activities disturbed the natural
habitat, alligators grew to a maximum length of
about 19 feet. The average length of an adult
today is only about 9 feet; an alligator this size
weighs approximately 250 pounds. Females are
about two feet shorter and half the weight of males.
Alligators can live up to 50 years.
In spring, the female builds a huge nest in
which she lays 30 to 70 eggs. The young emerge
two to three months later and are about eight
inches long. Alligators hunt at night, the young
feeding on insects and small crustaceans, and the
adults eating a variety of animals, including
snakes, turtles, birds, and muskrats. Widely
hunted for its tough and attractive hide, the
alligator is at greater risk from loss of marshy
habitat through drainage and pollution. The
species' population
has been greatly
reduced, thus the
alligator is protected in
the southern United
States.
Following the
cleanup at the Brown
Wood Preserving site,
alligators and other
creatures began to re-
inhabit the ponds on
the site, a sure sign of
the Superfund
program's effective-
ness.
Successful Negotiations
Result in $2.8 Million Cleanup
The Superfund program has a
primary goal of identifying and
locating parties who are respon-
sible for contaminating sites
across the nation. Owners, opera-
tors, generators, and transporters
are liable for cleaning up polluted
sites and mitigating any damages
to the surrounding environment.
At Brown Wood, EPA negotiators
settled with the site owners to
undertake field investigations,
engineering, and remedial activities.
Under EPA oversight, the
parties conducted an effective
cleanup and continue to monitor
the soil and water in conjunction
with the State of Florida. In 1994,
EPA will evaluate the effective-
ness and permanence of the
remedy, including restoration of
the site ecosystem to sustain
wildlife. The site will be sched-
uled for deletion from the NPL in
1994, pending the results of this
review.
PageS
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Superfund At Work
Brown Wood Preserving, Suwanee County, Florida
Fall 1993
Cleanup Team in Action
Members of the cleanup team examine storage tanks in the Brown Wood site
decontamination area.
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Success at
Brown Wood
Preserving
The Brown Wood Preserv-
ing site is a good example of
cleanup of a hazardous waste
site using private resources.
Through negotiations with
parties responsible for con-
tamination at the site, EPA
achieved an effective cleanup
at minimal cost to the Super-
fund program.
An innovative technology,
called bioremediation, was
used to decontaminate the
soil. Surface water and sur-
rounding areas have been
restored to safe levels.
v>EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
5502G
Washington, D.C. 20460
Official Business
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