U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Region 4
Fact Sheet on the Record of Decision
Cabot Carbon/Koppers Superfund Site
Gainesville, Florida
February 2011
This fact sheer is intended to keep the community informed about progress at the Cabot Carbon/Koppers Superfund Site
located in Gainesville, Florida. This fact sheet announces the Record of Decision for cleanup at the site.
SUMMARY
EPA has finalized the Record of Decision (ROD) to clean up the Cabot Carbon/Koppers Superfund Site located
in Gainesville, Florida. The ROD requires treatment of stormwater, sediment, soils, groundwater and surface
water on and nearby the former Koppers wood-treating facility and the former Cabot Carbon charcoal
production facility. Once cleanup is complete, the site will be able to be reused for commercial, industrial,
recreational or mixed-use with a residential component. The Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) Beazer East
has committed to working with local citizens and local government entities to redevelop the site.
The final ROD reflects many changes made following the receipt of public comments, as well as comments
from several agencies including the City of Gainesville, the Alachua County Environmental Protection
Department, the Florida Department of Health, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. 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
Find the complete Record of
Decision and other site
documents:
sessions and community interviews. The public was further invited to www.epa.gov/region4/waste/
provide input on site reuse through public meetings, and a site-reuse npl/nplfln/cabkopfl.htm
assessment is presently being prepared that will document the results of I
those engagement efforts.
Changes were made to EPA's July 15, 2010, proposed plan based on comments received from the public and
the agencies noted above. Specific changes include:
1. PRP Beazer East is required to implement soil stabilization/solidification in both the Surficial and Upper
Hawthorn Aquifers where there have been monitored exceedances of groundwater cleanup levels in the
Floridan Aquifer.
2. The ROD has been updated to include specific criteria that detail conditions under which additional
containment and treatment of contaminated groundwater in the Floridan Aquifer will take place.
3. The addition of an expanded monitoring network in the Upper Floridan Aquifer on the former Koppers
portion of the site.
4. Potential groundwater contamination from the former Cabot Carbon facility in the Hawthorn Aquifer
will be investigated and remediated.
-------
A summary of the selected remedy components follows. Please refer to the illustration below of the treatment
areas described.
III: li'.'J-TH
-------
ON-SITE REMEDIAL COMPONENTS
On-site soils contaminated with wood treating chemicals will be cleaned up to the most conservative standard
based on appropriate land use (i.e., commercial property will be cleaned up to meet commercial standards).
An impermeable engineered cap as part of a source area containment system will be placed over a contaminated
soil consolidation area on the site. 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.
To address contamination within the shallow Surficial Aquifer and the Hawthorn Aquifer beneath it, a 65-foot
vertical barrier wall will be installed below the engineered cap that will encompass the four source areas of
contamination. The wall will serve to further isolate contamination and prevent its migration. Within the former
Process Area and South Lagoon, chemical treatment injections will be used that react with contaminants to
reduce, encapsulate and solidify impacted aquifer material. Within the North Lagoon and Drip Track Area, soils
will be mixed with a solidifying agent to prevent contaminants from leaching into groundwater. Groundwater
within and surrounding the barrier wall will be captured, treated and discharged to the Gainesville Regional
Utility wastewater treatment plant. In the deeper portions of the Hawthorn Aquifer, chemical treatment will be
used to render contaminated groundwater harmless.
In order to address contamination within the deep 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 in the Floridan Aquifer will take place.
NEXT STEPS
Within the next month, the demolition of the Koppers facility will be completed. EPA expects to complete off-
site soil contamination delineation of residential and commercial/industrial properties within the next three to
six months. The Remedial Design, detailing specific engineering plans for the site cleanup, will be completed
within 18 months.
FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
Within the next year, it is anticipated that the negotiation of the Consent Decree (CD) formalizing the cleanup
plan and the responsibilities of each party, including EPA, will be complete. EPA awarded a Technical
Assistance Grant to Protect Gainesville Citizens, Inc. in 2010 and will work with their technical advisor in
support of community outreach. As part of the development of the CD, a federal register notice will be
published inviting public comment on the draft. Lastly, EPA will issue a public notice in the local paper inviting
the public to attend a federal district court hearing in Gainesville where the CD will be considered before it is
finalized.
For more information, contact:
Scott Miller
Remedial Project Manager
Superfund Division
U.S. EPA Region 4
61 Forsyth Street, SW
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone(404)562-9120
Fax (404) 562-8896
------- |