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Sydney Mine Sludge Ponds
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Pond toward center of Sydney Mine Sludge Ponds 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: FLD000648055Location: Brandon, Hillsborough County, FL
Lat/Long: 27.929160, -082.209160
Congressional District: 12
NPL Status: Proposed: 06/10/86; Final: 10/04/89
Affected Media: Ground water
Cleanup Status: Construction Complete - Physical cleanup activities have been completed.
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Potential for Commercial, Residential, Light Industrial, and Green Space - Site development plans underway.
Site Manager: Galo Jackson (jackson.galo@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Sydney Mine Sludge Ponds site is located in Brandon, Hillsborough County, Florida. The property is a 9.5-acre former liquid waste disposal site that was strip-mined for phosphate ore from the 1930s through the 1950s. Starting in late 1973, Hillsborough County leased a small portion of the tract and operated a liquid waste disposal facility until 1981. Approximately 16 million gallons of liquid waste, including sludge, grease trappings, and cutting oil were hauled to and disposed of at the site. Improper disposal practices are the source of site contamination.
Threats and Contaminants
As a result of past disposal practices, ground water has been contaminated by inorganics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Contaminants have migrated vertically and laterally, and have been detected in the Hawthorn aquifer, the principal local drinking water source of ground water.
Site Cleanup Plan
The Record of Decision (ROD) for the site was issued in 1989. Major cleanup elements for the site included:
- Continued operation of the existing recovery and treatment system.
- An evaluation of the entire system to determine its effectiveness and efficiency and to establish whether there is a need for installation of additional wells, or if pumping of some of the existing wells could be stopped.
- The analysis would also include design of a schedule for temporarily shutting down the entire system to determine remedial action success.
Cleanup Progress
Site cleanup activities are being led primarily by potentially responsible parties (PRPs) with oversight by EPA.
Twelve thousand cubic yards of contaminated soil from the sludge ponds were excavated and incinerated in the mid-1980s. Subsequent to this, the County constructed a slurry wall around the ponds, believing that this would prevent the migration of contaminants.
In the late 1980s the County constructed a recovery and treatment system in order the remediate the surficial aquifer. This system was modified to improve performance in the early 1990s and at EPA's request additional recovery wells were installed in the intermediate aquifer system. The enhanced ground water treatment system has been in operation since 1995.
In late 1997, the first round of data collection to determine whether intrinsic bioremediation is a viable option for the site's surficial and intermediate aquifers was conducted. The ground water pump-and-treat system was decommissioned during late 2001 and early 2002.
Enforcement Activities
In 1990, EPA issued a Unilateral Administrative Order for PRPs to conduct the remedial design and remedial action to address the VOC plume in the upper portion of the Bone Valley Water-Bearing Unit.
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Sydney Mine Sludge Ponds 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 interviews.
Fact Sheets
- Reuse Fact Sheet (PDF) (1 pg, 170K, About PDF)
Future Work
Long-term ground water monitoring is ongoing.
This site is subject to Five-Year Reviews (FYRs). The next FYR for the site should be completed 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.
Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library
619 Vonderburg Drive
Brandon, FL 33511
Administrative Record Index
- OU-1 (PDF) (20 pp, 801K, About PDF)
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.