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Southern Solvents, Inc.
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Entrance to facility at the Southern Solvents site.
- Additional Site Photos
- Site Video
Additional Resources
- Site Cleanup Terms - can be found in EPA's glossary
- EPA Guides to Cleanup Technologies
- Superfund Community Involvement (PDF) (17 pp, 130K, About PDF)
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: FL0001209840Location: Tampa, Hillsborough County, FL
Lat/Long: 28.040550, -082.510270
Congressional District: 08
NPL Status: Proposed: 05/11/00; Final: 07/27/00
Affected Media: Ground water and Soil
Cleanup Status: Construction Underway - Physical cleanup activities have started.
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Potential for commercial/light industrial
Site Manager: Galo Jackson (jackson.galo@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Southern Solvents Site is located in a mixed commercial and residential area of North Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida. The Site is the former location of a facility that distributed dry cleaning solvents, including perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), to the local dry cleaning industry. The facility operated from the late 1970s to 1985, and resumed operations for a brief period from 1985 to 1989. Reportedly, PCE and TCE were stored in above ground tanks and small tanker trucks on a concrete slab and on the northern portion of the property. Periodic spills from these storage tanks are thought to be source of soil and ground water contamination at the Site.
Threats and Contaminants
A Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) was completed by EPA in April 1999. The findings of this investigation showed PCE contamination in the Site surface and subsurface soils as well as in ground water. The highest concentrations of PCE in the soils were detected in the saturated zone beneath the former solvent storage area. Ground water contamination on Site was most concentrated in the surficial aquifer, and has leaked through a clay layer to affect the underlying Floridan aquifer.
Site Cleanup Plan
The cleanup plan for the Southern Solvents Site covered two operable units (OUs): OU-1 (soil and surficial ground water remediation) and OU-2 (Floridan aquifer remediation). The Record of Decision (ROD) for OU-1 was issued in 1999. Major elements of the site cleanup plan included:
- Excavation of contaminated, unsaturated soils located in the former solvent storage area.
- Treatment of highly contaminated saturated soil and surficial ground water using in-situ chemical oxidation.
- Evaluation of continued use of chemical oxidation in areas with lower concentrations of PCE.
- Ground water use restrictions by naming the Site a delineated area under the Southwest Florida Management District.
Cleanup Progress
The remedial design for OU-1 included the treatment of the contaminated subsurface soil above the water table using soil vapor extraction (SVE). This SVE system operated from June 2005 to June 2006. Under the work plan of the in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) pilot study, two phases of ISCO injections were completed in April 2009. April 2010 monitoring results indicate that 13 out of 18 wells being monitored have had declines in PCE concentrations. PCE concentrations have increased in three of the monitored wells. If the SVE system is effective at removing PCE from above the water table it will be kept in operation.
A second Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study to investigate ground water contamination in the deeper Floridan aquifer was started in early 2000, and found substantial contamination in the aquifer. Monitoring wells have been installed and sampling occurred most recently in 2009. Work on OU-2 is suspended until the OU-1 remedy advances and results are assessed.
Site cleanup activities are being led by EPA, with support from the State of Florida.
Enforcement Activities
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Southern Solvents Site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process. Outreach activities have included public notices, interviews, and public meetings on cleanup activities and updates.
Future Work
In early 2011, a third application of ISCO is anticipated. Also in early 2011, the SVE system will be restarted and monitored.
Remedial design for OU-2 will proceed once source contamination in OU-1 is under control.
Site Administrative Documents
Site Repository
For more information or to view any site-related documents, please visit the site information repository at the following location. As new documents are generated, they will be placed in the information repository for public information.
North Tampa Branch Library
8916 North Boulevard
Tampa, FL 33604
(813) 975-2111
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.