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Alaric Area Groundwater Plume
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Sweeping Corp. Warehouse
- 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: FLD012978862Location: Tampa, Hillsborough County, FL
Lat/Long: 27.964080, -082.375130
Congressional District: 11
NPL Status: Proposed: 02/04/00; Final: 12/01/2000
Affected Media: Ground water, Soil
Cleanup Status: Construction Complete: Physical cleanup activities have been completed.
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Continued use - industrial
Site Manager: Galo Jackson (jackson.galo@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Alaric Area Groundwater Plume Superfund (Alaric) site is located in Hillsborough County, Florida, in the Orient Park section of the City of Tampa. Two other Superfund sites are nearby, including the Helena Chemical Co. (Tampa Plant) site located adjacent to the Alaric site. The Alaric site is approximately 1.7 acres in size and is located in an urban area with mostly commercial properties. The site has been occupied by several businesses since the early 1970s. Currently, Sweeping Corp. of America (SCA) occupies the property, conducting fleet maintenance and storage of street sweeping equipment.
Operations of one of the previous tenants, Concrete Equipment Supply (CES) are believed to have caused the release of significant quantities of degreasers, including perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE). Parts cleaning reportedly were conducted on the southern and western sides of the building. Although no records were found showing that CES used PCE- or TCE-containing degreasing agents, samples collected from the property indicated the presence of two source areas with high concentrations of PCE and TCE in the soil. No chlorinated solvents, hazardous materials, or hazardous wastes have been associated with the SCA operation.
Threats and Contaminants
Initial ground water monitoring in the late1990s by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) documented an area of ground water contamination, or plume, several acres in size. The plume also appeared to have migrated onto the adjacent Helena Chemical Superfund site, where releases of pesticides, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene, as well as sulfur have contaminated the soil and ground water.
EPA-led sampling of soil and ground water in 1999 indicated the presence of significant quantities of PCE and TCE in soil and ground water samples. Sampling was generally limited to the upper 15 feet of soil, immediately above the top of the Hawthorn Formation, a leaky clay layer. Ground water samples collected in 1999 also indicated that the ground water contamination had spread significantly since 1997. Today, trace concentrations of site-related contaminants are being detected in the Upper Floridan aquifer, which is a major source of drinking water in the Tampa area.
A potable well survey was conducted in 1986. The survey found that all users in the affected area were connected to a safe public water supply system.
EPA issued an interim cleanup plan, the Interim Action Record of Decision, in July 2002. The cleanup approach had three components:
- Removal of the shallow soil contamination and septic tank, believed to be the main source of the chlorinated solvents; and
- Treatment of the deeper subsurface soils through chemical oxidation; and
- Containment of the surficial and intermediate aquifer ground water by pumping and treating.
Removal of the shallow contaminated soil and septic tank was completed in May 2003.
Treatment of contaminated subsurface soils began in 2003 and 2004. Samples taken in 2004 and 2005 indicated that the treatment substantially eliminated the soil contamination with limited exceptions. Follow-up soil treatment efforts were initiated starting in July 2004, and most recently in 2007 and 2008. Any remaining shallow soil contamination will be addressed in the upcoming final Record of Decision (ROD), scheduled to be completed during the spring of 2010.
Containment of the downgradient extent of dissolved volatile organic compound contamination in ground water is complete. In July 2008 ground water treatment and recovery from the surficial aquifer was discontinued since the amount of contamination being removed was minimal. Ground water treatment and recovery from the Hawthorn Formation is continuing.
The contamination which has migrated into the Hawthorn Formation is also being investigated. In early 2007, an initial draft of the Phase II remedial investigation, which defines the nature and extent of contamination in the deeper hydrostatigraphic units, was circulated for review by EPA and FDEP. A second and final phase of work for the remedial investigation and the feasibility study for the deeper contamination is being concluded in mid-2009. The final ROD is scheduled for the spring of 2010.
The site's first Five Year Review (FYR), an in-depth evaluation of the cleanup approach used at the site, was concluded in May 2008. The review found that the site's cleanup approach currently protects human health and the environment because human exposures are not occurring.
Site cleanup activities are being led primarily by EPA.
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Alaric Area Groundwater Plume 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 and information meetings on cleanup progress and activities.
Fact Sheets
- Reuse Success Fact Sheet (PDF) (1 pg, 168K, About PDF).
Future Work
Ground water treatment and recovery from the Hawthorn Formation is continuing.
The final ROD for the site is scheduled for the spring of 2010.
The next FYR for the site should be completed by 2013.
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.
78th Street Community Library
7625 Palm River Road
Tampa, Florida 33619-4131
Administrative Record Index
- OU-1 (PDF) (2 pp, 27K, About PDF).
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.