Site Cleanup

Hazardous Materials Spills
Spill Site Remediation
Diesel Fuel Spills

Hazardous Materials Spills

The Environmental Protection Department Hazardous Materials personnel are on call 24/7 and respond to all 911 notified Hazardous Materials discharge incidents in Alachua County to provide technical assistance to all local emergency response agencies.

Our objective is to ensure that all appropriate site cleanup actions are taken to remediate the site to pre-incident conditions per County, State, and Federal regulations, thus protecting the soils, air, groundwater, and surface waters of Alachua County.

  • Hazardous Materials spill
  • Plane crash showing an oil spill
  • Firefighters cleaning up a spill
  • Oil drums with spilled oil on the ground

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Spill Site Remediation

Multiple oil spill sites  
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EPD staff supervise the remediation of contaminated sites within Alachua County, which are a result of an incident at a hazmat facility from vehicle crashes or from any other issue that results in a discharge / spill. EPD responds to an average of 85 hazmat incidents each year.

Additionally, EPD staff coordinate with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for sites under Federal and State supervision such as the Cabot / Koppers Superfund site and facilities in the Dry Cleaner Cleanup Program.

Information on petroleum contaminated sites in Alachua County, can be found at the Petroleum Cleanup Program webpage.

Fuel Spills

Fuel Spills  
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The most common material spilled in Alachua County falls into the fuel category and includes diesel fuel, kerosene, home heating oil, and jet fuels. By far, the most commonly spilled fuel is diesel fuel.

Most trucks traveling through Alachua County are powered by diesel engines. The fuel for these trucks is contained in saddle tanks that are located on the cab of a truck, just below each of the doors. Their capacity can range from 100 to 200 gallons, allowing a total conveyance of up to 400 gallons of fuel. The placement of these tanks puts them in an extremely vulnerable position, subject to punctures from road debris, vehicle accidents, and numerous other hazards.

The most common type of hazardous materials incident in Alachua County results from vehicle accidents, where the fuel tank is damaged and releases fuel. Hydraulic oil can also be spilled during an accident or when hydraulic lines fail on a truck or piece of heavy equipment. Fuel and hydraulic oil are relatively easily recovered when the material spills on the ground or roadway. Upon arriving at the scene of a spill, Fire / Rescue works diligently to prevent any material from entering the storm drain system and subsequently any of the County’s waterways.

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