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                   U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                   Office of Inspector General

                   At   a   Glance
                                                            08-P-0264
                                                    September 16, 2008
                                                              Catalyst for Improving the Environment
Why We Did This Review

The Office of Inspector
General (OIG) evaluated the
actions taken by the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) Region 4 staff
in response to a June 2004
OIG report concerning the
Stauffer Chemical Company
Superfund site in Tarpon
Springs, Florida.
Background
The Tarpon Springs plant was
used from 1947 to 1981 to
process phosphorous.  Even
though the plant was removed,
contaminated soil and material
remained at the 130-acre site.
EPA approved leaving these
contaminants there, after
consolidating and solidifying
them, and then installing a
cap. In June 2004, the OIG
identified actions needed to
allay public concerns about
the cleanup actions proposed
for this site and for other sites
with similar geological traits,
and to improve citizen
involvement in the process.
For further information,
contact our Office of
Congressional and Public
Liaison at (202) 566-2391.

Corrective Actions Were Generally
Implemented at Stauffer Chemical Company
Superfund Site, Tarpon Springs, Florida
To view the full report,
click on the following link:
www.epa.gov/oiq/reports/2008/
20080916-08-P-0264.pdf
 What We Found
Under a consent decree, the potentially responsible party is preparing the design
for the EPA-approved cleanup actions. In December 2007, the design was
30 percent complete. As recommended in OIG Report No. 2004-P-00018,
Review of Actions at Stauffer Chemical Company Superfund Site, Tarpon Springs,
Florida, June 3, 2004 (OIG 2004 Report), this draft design incorporated the
information and recommendations from the additional site studies.

Also as recommended in the OIG 2004 Report, Region 4 staff revised the
community involvement plan for the site to include some community activity
during the design phase.  These activities are being performed. For example,
public meetings were held in October 2005 and June 2007. In addition, when
issuing the May 2007 Explanation of Significant Differences to change the
cleanup actions proposed, Region 4 staff complied with EPA requirements.
Although  EPA could have asked for public input before making this decision, it
does not require formal public participation during the remedy design phase.

In November 2004, to comply with a recommendation in the OIG 2004 Report, a
Region 4 official instructed the staff to determine whether karst was present at a
cleanup site and, if so, whether it would impact the site. Karst, an area of
limestone formations that often contains  sinkholes, is widespread in Florida.
Some citizens believed that sinkholes at the Stauffer Chemical Company Tarpon
Springs plant could cause any structures  at the Superfund site to settle when the
underlying ground sinks, and could create ready pathways for pollutants to travel
between the surficial and Floridan aquifers.

We reviewed six sites to determine if recently-started site investigations included
work to identify the presence and impact of karst. Although three of the six sites
are not in  karst-prone areas, three sites are so located. Earlier studies at these three
sites had not evaluated the potential impact of karst. More recent studies are
addressing the karst issue.
 What We Recommend
We have no recommendations for corrective action.

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