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American Creosote Works (Pensacola Plant)
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
On-site ground water treatment system shed.
- 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: FLD008161994Location: Pensacola, Escambia County, FL
Lat/Long: 30.404710, -087.236660
Congressional District: 01
NPL Status: Proposed: 12/30/82; Final 09/08/83
Affected Media: Ground water, Sediment, Sludge, Soil
Cleanup Status: Site Cleanup Underway
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: None
Site Manager: Shea Jones (jones.shea@epa.gov)
Site Background
The American Creosote Works (ACW), Inc. site occupies 18 acres in a moderately dense commercial and residential district of Pensacola, Florida. It is located about one mile southwest of the intersection of Garden and Palafox Streets and about 600 yards north of Pensacola Bay and Bayou Chico.
ACW is an inactive wood-treating facility that operated from 1902 until 1981, when the company filed for bankruptcy. Prior to 1950, creosote was used exclusively to treat poles. Use of pentachlorophenol (PCP) started in 1950 and steadily increased in later years of operation. Dioxins at the Site resulted from the use of PCP as a wood treating chemical, since dioxins are a common impurity in commercial grade PCP.
Four former surface impoundments were located in the western portion of the ACW property and were used for disposal of process wastes. Discharges occurred when heavy rainfall flooded the ponds. Prior to 1970, wastewater in these ponds was allowed to overflow through a spillway, flow through the streets and storm drains and into Bayou Chico and Pensacola Bay. In later years, liquid wastes were collected and spread on the ground in designated "Spillage Areas" on site.
Several businesses lie directly north of the site, including a lumber company, an auto body shop, and an appliance sales and repair shop. Residential areas, which are included in the ACW site, are next to the ACW property to the east and south.
Threats and Contaminants
Major contaminants in the soil, sediment, and ground water are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PCP, and dioxin from the former wood-treating processes.
Site Cleanup Plan
The cleanup plan for the ACW site covers two operable units (OUs): OU-1 (soil, subsurface soil, sediment) and OU-2 (ground water).
Originally, OU-1 addressed surface soil contamination from 0 to 3 feet and OU-2 referred to contaminated ground water, subsurface soil, and solidified sludge from the former waste lagoons. However, in 1994, EPA redefined OU-1 to include surface soil, subsurface soil, solidified sludge, and sediment. OU-2 was redefined to include only ground water.
An initial Record of Decision (ROD) for the site was finalized in 1985. The selected remedy consisted of stockpiling on-site and off-site contaminated surface soils (top two feet), sediments and sludges on the ACW site and disposing of the contaminated materials in a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) landfill. However, the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation (DER) did not concur with the selected remedy and it was not implemented.
Based on additional investigation of contamination at the site, a second ROD was issued in 1989 that covered OU-1. This ROD was amended in 1999. Major components of the amended cleanup approach include:
- Demolish, decontaminate, and dispose of process area foundations and debris in an off-site landfill.
- Excavate contaminated surface and subsurface soil in residential areas and the Pensacola Yacht Club (PYC) which exceed EPA's remedial goals and consolidate these materials on the ACW property.
- Construct a surface cap over consolidated materials and contaminated areas of the site.
- Install drainage channels, a stormwater retention pond, and other drainage improvements to manage stormwater runoff from the site.
- Repair or replace existing security fence around the site as needed.
- Provide periodic sampling of sediment in the PYC drainage ditch and regular mowing and maintenance of the surface cap on the ACW site.
- Implementation of institutional controls such as covenants and deed restrictions that will insure the integrity of the cap and insure future reuse compatible with the remedy goals.
The Record of Decision for OU-2 was issued in 1994. The remedy of OU-2 consists of two phases. Phase I includes:
- Enhanced dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) recovery.
- DNAPL/water separation and ground water treatment.
- Off-site transport and recycling of recovered DNAPL and injection of treated ground water.
- Periodic ground water monitoring to evaluate DNAPL recovery efficiency.
- Implementation of State-imposed well permit restrictions.
Phase II will address residual ground water contamination in the aquifer. Based on the results of periodic ground water monitoring data, EPA will determine whether to continue enhanced DNAPL recovery or to implement Phase II. Phase II includes:
- Ground water removal and on-site treatment of contaminated ground water.
- Nutrient and hydrogen peroxide addition to the treated water.
- Injection of the treated ground water, with nutrients, into the contaminated portion of the aquifer to stimulate biological treatment of ground water.
- Dewatering of waste sludge from the treatment process and disposal at an off-site RCRA landfill.
- Periodic ground water and surface water monitoring to evaluate treatment system performance.
Cleanup Progress
In 1983 EPA performed an emergency cleanup to prevent contamination from migrating off-site. The emergency cleanup involved draining the lagoons, treating the wastewater, solidifying the sludge in the lagoons with lime and fly ash, and constructing a temporary clay cap over the lagoons.
In 1985, EPA completed a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) for the site. EPA performed an additional study in 1988 (the Post-Remedial Investigation) to provide further information on the extent of contamination in surface soil.
The remedy selected for OU-1, excavation of contaminated soils and sludges, stockpiling on site, and covering with an asphalt cap, has not been completed. Interim cleanup activities have occurred at the site. In 2003, cleanup activities moved contaminated soils from the surrounding neighborhood onto the site and covered the contaminated soil with a temporary soil cap. However, a site-wide final permanent cap has not been installed.
A new Florida DER regulation has required more sampling in the neighborhood to determine how this regulation may affect cleanup levels for dioxin in soil. Soil sampling was done in 2007 and community meetings were held to discuss data collected during the sampling event. EPA is working on an RI Report to revise how dioxin-contaminated soils in the neighborhood will be addressed. Currently, exposure pathways that could result in unacceptable risks are being controlled for OU-1.
For OU-2, Phase I of the 2-phase DNAPL removal system has been installed. The DNAPL system operated as designed from 2001 until September 2003 when the system was shut down due to contaminant break through of the activated carbon filters. The activated carbon was replaced and the system operated sporadically until September 2004 when Hurricane Ivan damaged the system. Repair work was completed in December 2005. The Mobile District Corps of Engineers is currently operating the DNAPL system.
Ground water monitoring wells were installed at 10 locations in 2007 to begin monitoring activities and prepare for Phase II activities for OU-2.
OU3 was created in 2007 based upon new risk based FDEP regulations for Dioxin. OU3 includes all offsite Dioxin contamination. A RI and Baseline Risk Assessment were completed in late April 2009. Currently, the EPA is waiting for comments back from the FDEP about the RI. The information from the RI and BRA will be used to complete the Proposed Plan/ROD for this site.
Two Five Year Reviews (FYRs) have been completed for the site, in 2001 and 2006.
An institutional control to prevent the drilling of any wells in the site area is in place.
Site cleanup activities are being led primarily by EPA.
Enforcement Activities
In 1980, ACW filed an incomplete application with Florida DER for construction of an industrial wastewater treatment system. Florida DER issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) for corrective action in 1981, alleging contamination of soil and ground water. This enforcement action called for ACW to cease operations until a permit was issued, to submit a restoration plan, to install a ground water monitoring system and to remove contaminated soil.
In March 1981, Florida DER and ACW entered into an administrative consent order which incorporated the previous NOV requirements and allowed ACW to continue operations.
In May 1982, ACW filed for reorganization in bankruptcy court. In 1984, the court presented a final court stipulation for the approval of the litigants. The stipulation provided that half of the proceeds of any sale or lease of the ACW property would go to EPA and Florida DER.
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the ACW site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the NPL cleanup process. Outreach activities have included site fact sheets (found below), public notices, and information meetings on cleanup progress and activities.
- Reuse Fact Sheet (PDF) (1 pg, 140K)
- December 1999 Fact Sheet (PDF) (4 pp, 230K)
- May 2001 Fact Sheet (PDF) (5 pp, 370K)
- August 2002 Fact Sheet (PDF) (4 pp, 100K)
- January 2003 Fact Sheet (PDF) (4 pp, 500K)
- March 2006 Fact Sheet (PDF) (2 pp, 60K)
Fact Sheets
Future Work
Deeper extraction wells will be installed below the surface to increase the rate of DNAPL recovery during 2009.
Ground water samples will be sampled and analyzed for VOC and semi-volatile organic compounds during 2009 in preparation for Phase II activities in OU-2.
The next FYR for the site is expected to occur in 2011.
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.
West Florida Regional Library200 W. Gregory St.
Pensacola, FL 32501
Administrative Record Index
- OU-1 (PDF) (44 pp, 1.5MB)
- OU-1 (PDF) (42 pp, 1.8MB)
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.