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Sapp Battery
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Berm on western portion of Sapp Battery 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: FLD980602882Location: Cottondale, Jackson County, FL
Lat/Long: 30.728330, -085.392500
Congressional District: 02
NPL Status: Proposed: 12/30/82; Final: 09/08/83
Affected Media: Air, Ground water, Sediment, Soil, and Surface Water
Cleanup Status: Construction Underway - Physical cleanup activities have started
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Potential for Recreational/Ecological
Site Manager: Shea Jones (jones.shea@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Sapp Battery site occupies an area of approximately 45 acres in rural Jackson County, Florida, and is located approximately five miles south of the town of Cottondale and two miles north of the town of Alford. In 1970, Sapp Battery Salvage Company began a spent automotive battery breaking and lead recovery operation on the site. Acid wastes were dumped into an unlined holding pond at the facility, from which they drained to neighboring cypress swamps and the Steele City Bay. On-site wetlands were visibly impacted by acid runoff from site operations as early as 1977, and the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation issued warning notices to the company in 1978 and 1979.
Battery salvage operations were abruptly shutdown in early 1980 after unsuccessful attempts by the owner to control site contamination.
Threats and Contaminants
Former facility operations resulted in contamination of site soils, surface water bodies, sediments and ground water with sulfuric acid and heavy metals. The primary contaminant of concern (COC) was lead, which was quantified in the surface soils, surface water, sediments, and ground water. Ground water contamination threatens the Floridan Aquifer, which is the primary drinking water source for nearby residents.
In addition to heavy metal contamination, several areas of the site exhibited highly acidic pH levels due to dumping of acidic battery waters. The presence of chemical plasticizers, particularly bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, was also detected leaching from the plastic battery casings stored on the property.
Site Cleanup Plan
The cleanup plan for the Sapp Battery site was divided into three operable units (OUs): OU-1 (source control), OU-2 (ground water), and OU-3 (Steele City Bay). A Record of Decision (ROD) for the site was issued in 1986 that covered OU-1. Major components of the site cleanup plan included:
- Excavation of shallow soils to a depth of eight feet, and hot spot removal to a depth of up to 30 feet. This would remove over 99% of contaminated soil that could continue to impact ground water.
- Institutional Controls and ground water monitoring to address deep stained soils and ground water contamination.
- Dredging with off-site treatment and disposal of sediments.
RODs were not developed for OU-2 and OU-3.
Cleanup Progress
In 1980, EPA conducted an early action at the site consisting of construction and modification of site berms to control runoff and the application of hydrated lime to neutralize acid-contaminated water. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) conducted several additional interim response actions in 1984 and 1985 to stabilize the site.
The passage of the Superfund Recycling Equity Act of 1999 (SREA) provided an exemption from liability for the potentially responsible parties (PRPs). As a result, the PRPs completed the OU-1 remedial action in 2001 by excavating, solidifying and stabilizing lead-contaminated soil on site, and EPA will implement the remaining site remediation of OU-2 and OU-3
Remedial design for OU-2 has been underway since April 29, 2004. Additional site characterization to define the extent of contamination and a treatability study to determine how the remedy should be changed were completed in 2008.
Remedial design activities for OU3 began at the site during July 2003. An Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) was issued in September 2007 to change the remedy to excavation, solidification, and off-site transport of contaminated sediments, instead of solidification and stabilization on site. The remedy was completed in September 2008.
Ground Water Monitoring Reports
- Data Evaluation Report 2007 (PDF) (225 pp, 26.1MB, About PDF)
- Ground Water Effectiveness Data Report 2008 (PDF) (58 pp, 1.24MB, About PDF)
Enforcement Activities
In January 1992, EPA signed a Consent Decree with a group of PRPs to implement the source area soils remedy.
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Sapp Battery 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.
Fact Sheets
- Ready for Reuse Fact Sheet (PDF) (1 pg, 357K, About PDF)
Future Work
A revised remedy for OU-2 will be selected in 2009.
A Remedial Action Construction Report for OU-3 will be finalized during 2009.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.
Jackson County Public Library
413 North Green Street
Marianna, FL 32446
Administrative Record Index
- Removal (PDF) (3 pp, 110K, About PDF)
- ESD #1, 1996 (PDF) (4 pp, 175K, About PDF)
- ESD #2, 1998 (PDF) (1 pg, 25K, About PDF)
- ESD #4, 2000 (PDF) (1 pg, 47K, About PDF)
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.