Cabot Koppers Superfund

PCG- Indoor Dioxin Dust Study Report and FDOH Neighborhood Update January 2015
PCG- Indoor Dioxin Dust Study Report and FDOH Neighborhood Update January 2015

An Indoor Dioxin Dust Study Report has been authored by Dr. Pat Cline, Technical Advisior,Protect Gainesville Citizens, Inc., for the USEPA Environmental Justice Small Grants Program.  The study report dated November 30, 2014 is titled " Understanding Dioxin-like Compounds in Indoor Dust" and studied the variability and patterns of dioxin like compounds in indoor dust from homes near the former Koppers woood treating plant in Gainesville Florida including potential contributions from flame retardant chemicals in homes.  For some homes, indoor dioxin data was evaluated before and after surface soil remediation.

Protect Gainesville Citizens, Inc. Fact Sheet "Dioxins and Dioxin Like Compounds in Indoor Dust", February 2015

The Florida Department of Health has issued a January 2015 Neighborhood Update for the Koppers Hazardous Waste Site.  The Update highlights the Indoor Dioxin Dust Study Report observation of a reduction in indoor dust dioxin levels in some neighborhood homes after surface soils cleanup. 

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Offsite Soil Remediation Completed
Offsite Soil Remediation Completed

Offsite soil remediation on Stephen Foster Neighborhood properties near the former Koppers portion of the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site and on serveral properties south of the site has been completed November 14. Cleanup of properties to remove dioxin comtaminated surface soils has been in progress since February 17, 2014.  Beazer East, Inc., the responsible party for the contamination at the Koppers portion of the Cabot-Koppers Superfund site, has remediated 100 parcels west and south of the former wood preserving site. The current status of the offsite remediation including a map of the remdiation area can be found on the right hand side of this webpage.

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Historical Offsite Soil Data and Cleaned Properties
Historical Offsite Soil Data and Cleaned Properties

​The historical results of offsite soil sampling data before the completion of offsite soil remediation in November 2014 and a map of the remediated area for samples taken in the vicinity of the Cabot Koppers Superfund Site and in the City Material Storage Yard are available on the historical Interactive Soil Map application. One hundred properties west and south of the site have been remediated to remove dioxin contamination.  

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Final Neighborhood Dioxin Dust Health Consultation and Koppers Community Update
Final Neighborhood Dioxin Dust Health Consultation and Koppers Community Update

​The Florida Department of Health and the Alachua County Health Department has issued the Final Health Consultation on the Indoor Dioxin Dust in homes nearby the Koppers Superfund Site.  The August 2014 Community Update was also issued.  The Final Indoor Dioxin Dust HC finds very low increased cancer risk from the ingestion of indoor dust in the neighborhood homes adjacent to the site and that ingestion of indoor dust is not likely to cause non-cancer illness.  

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Health Department Issues Final Offsite Soils Health Consultation - November 4, 2013
Health Department Issues Final Offsite Soils Health Consultation - November 4, 2013

​The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) has released the Final Health Consultation (HC) for Surficial Soils Surrounding the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site. This HC report evaluates the health risks from surface soils an includes data from samples collected in January 2012 and also updates the health risks evaluation related to the consumption of vegetables including zucchini that may be grown in dioxin contaminated soils in the residential neighborhood.

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USEPA Consent Decree Approved by Federal Court July 9, 2013
USEPA Consent Decree Approved by Federal Court July 9, 2013

​The Federal District Court for the Northern District of Florida has approved the proposed Consent Decree between the USEPA and Beazer East filed on February 7, 2013 for the Cabot Koppers Superfund Site. Judge Richard Smoak accepted and ordered the USEPA's Motion to Enter the Consent Decree that was filed with Court on June 28, 2013. The remedial actions and deadlines contained in the Consent Decree will now begin and will be tracked from July 9, 2013 date. The documents filed with the court are contained in the links below:

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Florida Department of Health (FDOH) Open House on Draft Health Consultation - Monday, June 10; USEPA Report on Indoor Dioxin Dust Sampling Available
Florida Department of Health (FDOH) Open House on Draft Health Consultation - Monday, June 10; USEPA Report on Indoor Dioxin Dust Sampling Available

​The FDOH has released a Draft Heath Consultation for public review assessing the health risks associated with the levels of dioxins found in indoor dust from background residences and residences west of the Cabot Koppers Superfund Site. The Public Comment period is until June 24, 2013. This Draft Health Consultation is based on data reported by the USEPA from the Indoor Dioxin Sampling Study conducted in May 2012. On May 24, 2013, the Alachua County Health Department released and distributed a Community Update to residents describing the availability of the Draft Health Consultation. The ACHD plans a neighborhood Open House Meeting to be held on Monday, June 10, 2013 , from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Stephen Foster Elementary School , 3800 NW 6th Street, Gainesville
Details are available at the Alachua County Health Department website and in the following documents
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USEPA Consent Decree of Koppers Superfund Site --Public Comment Period
USEPA Consent Decree of Koppers Superfund Site --Public Comment Period

The expected Cabot-Koppers Consent Decree was lodged with the United States District Court, Northern District on February 7, 2013. The US Department of Justice (USDOJ) has placed a notice in the Federal Register on February 13, 2013 to alert and give the public an opportunity to review the decree. The notice begins a 30-day public comment period which will end on March 15, 2013.

Public comments on the Consent Decree should be addressed to:

Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division and should refer to the United States of America V. Beazer East, Inc. Action no. 1:13cvs29-SPM-GRJ; D.J. Ref. NO. 90-11-2-622/1.

Comments may be submitted by email or by mail.
By email, send public comments to pubcomment-ees.enrd@usdoj.gov.
By mail, send comments to: Assistant Attorney General, U. S. DOJENRD, P.O. Box 7611, Washington, DC 20044-7611

When the public comment period ends, the USEPA and the USDOJ will collectively review the comments and prepare a response to them as necessary for the presiding judge’s consideration. The presiding federal judge will decide whether to enter or decline to enter the consent decree. The presiding judge may, but is not required to, have a hearing in open court concerning the consent decree.

Once a consent decree is entered, the remediation work will begin according to the schedule established in the consent decree and the Statement of Work (which is an appendix to the consent decree). Links to view and download the Consent Decree and associated documents are provided below. Alternatively, the Consent Decree may be viewed at the information repository at the Alachua County Public Library, located at 401 E. University Avenue in Gainesville, Florida 32601, for public review.

Consent Decree Documents:

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INDOOR DIOXIN DUST INVESTIGATION STUDY
INDOOR DIOXIN DUST INVESTIGATION STUDY

The USEPA will implement an Indoor Dioxin Dust Investigation Study in selected neighborhoods in the City of Gainesville. On January 9, 2012, letters from USEPA were mailed out to preselected near site and background neighborhoods soliciting participation in the study and property access authorization from residential property owners. The Alachua County Environmental Protection Department is assisting USEPA in the mailout and receipt of letters from the contacted neighborhoods.

A workgroup of local health, environmental and technical experts will assist USEPA in identifying the homes to be tested from the group of homes whose owners have provided access authorization and completed survey questions. Sampling is tentatively scheduled for March/April 2012.

The Indoor Dioxin Dust Investigation Study is intended to investigate the issue of potential indoor dust contamination with dioxins in homes near the Cabot Koppers Superfund site and includes recommendations for sampling, testing and data interpretation. The study will include sampling of indoor dust from not more than 15 homes located near the Superfund site and from not more than 15 "background" homes located almost 2 miles from the site. The background homes are located in neighborhoods that have not shown evidence of soil dioxin dust contamination above State of Florida standards.

In July 2011, the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) submitted a

Indoor Dust Investigation/ Interpretation Workplan for the Stephen Foster Neighborhood to the USEPA. The workplan was developed by a Task Force composed of representatives from the FDOH, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Alachua County Environmental Protection Department, USEPA, the US Agency for Toxics and Disease Registry, the Alachua County Health Department and included representatives of Beazer East, the Alachua County Environmental Protection Advisory Committee and the Technical Advisor from the citizens group, Protect Gainesville Citizen's Inc. Both the City of Gainesville Commission and the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners have urged USEPA to implement the workplan.

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USEPA MAY 2011 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PLAN (CIP) FOR KOPPERS SUPERFUND SITE AVAILABLE
USEPA MAY 2011 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PLAN (CIP) FOR KOPPERS SUPERFUND SITE AVAILABLE

The USEPA Region 4 has released a revised update of the Community Involvement Plan for the Koppers Superfund Site dated May 2011.

CLICK HERE to view the document.

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USEPA Releases Final Record of Decision (ROD) Clean-up plan for Cabot Koppers Superfund Site Feb 2, 2011
USEPA Releases Final Record of Decision (ROD) Clean-up plan for Cabot Koppers Superfund Site Feb 2, 2011

The USEPA has released the Final Record of Decision (ROD) for the Cabot Koppers Superfund Site on Feb 2 2011. The full text of the ROD is available from the USEPA website at the following link:

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Cabot Corporation -- Tar Removal Effort -Springstead and Hogtown Creeks
Cabot Corporation -- Tar Removal Effort -Springstead and Hogtown Creeks

The Cabot Corporation is planning a voluntary effort to remove residual pine tar deposits from selected segments of Springstead and Hogtown Creeks in January and February 2011. Click here to see the Final Workplan and for additional information about this work effort.

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Historical Background
Historical Background

​Summary of Site History and Remediation Activities - Click Here

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Cabot Site --49 acres
Cabot Site --49 acres
  • ​History of pine tar & charcoal production
  • Pine tar/pine oil production by Cabot since 1945
  • Product isolation in 3 unlined lagoons (1949)
  • Cabot sold site (1967)
  • Developer breechs product lagoons
  • Pine tars and oils discharged to wetlands and creek
  • Remaining lagoon sludges mixed with site soils (1970)
  • Shopping center built on site
  • Stormwater ponds built on top of former lagoons
  • Malodorous leachate appears in Main Street ditch
  • Groundwater collection trench installed along Main Street
  • Northeast lagoon partially excavated
  • Remediation on-going
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Koppers Site --90 acres
Koppers Site --90 acres
  • Wood treating since 1916
  • Creosote, Pentachlorophenol, CCA
  • Areas of concern
    • 2 wastewater ponds
    • Former cooling pond /process area
    • Drip Track Area
  • Beazer purchases Koppers (1988)
  • Wood treating ops. sold to Koppers Industries, Inc.
  • Beazer retained environmental liability
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Cabot Koppers Superfund Document Library                 

Contains documents dated from 2004 although a few earlier documents are included. Some larger file size documents are maintained internally by ACEPD along with older files. Contact ACEPD offices to view these files.

                               

Contact the USEPA

               
  • Rusty Kestle
  • Remedial Project Manager
  • US Environmental Protection Agency Region 4
  • 61 Forsyth Street, SW
  • Atlanta, GA 30303
  • 404-562-8819
  • Kestle.rusty@epa.gov

Health Guidance

The Alachua County Health Department maintains information and guidance on their website (Click Here) on human health related issues associated with off-site contamination near the Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site.

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