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Tower Chemical
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Drainage ditch on the Tower Chemical Company 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: FLD004065546Location: Clermont, Lake County, FL
Lat/Long: 28.551380, -081.684710
Congressional District: 06
NPL Status: Proposed: 12/30/82; Final: 09/08/83
Affected Media: Ground water, Soil, Debris
Cleanup Status: Physical cleanup activities are underway
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: In use – commercial; Potential for residential use
Site Manager: Jan Rogers (rogers.jan@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Tower Chemical Company (TCC) site is an abandoned pesticide manufacturing facility located approximately five miles east of downtown Clermont, Florida. The main site, including the original production facility, wastewater pond, and burn/burial pit, is approximately 16 acres.
From 1957 to 1981, TCC manufactured and stored various pesticides used primarily in the citrus industry. TCC discharged acidic process wastewater into a 0.5-acre, unlined seepage/evaporation pond, which was located over a former sinkhole area. This created a leaching conduit into the deeper Floridan aquifer. In the last year of operation, TCC disposed of acidic waste water on a spray irrigation field off site, southwest of the waste water pond. TCC also burned and buried its waste on a 1.5-acre portion of the site in the early years of operation. In 1980, the wastewater pond overflowed into an on-site drainage ditch which flows downstream into the Gourd Neck of Lake Apopka, where vegetation and aquatic animals were affected. TCC ceased manufacturing operations in December 1980.
After closure of TCC, two new businesses leased portions of the site property: Classic Manufacturing Company and Vita-Green Inc. From 1981 to 1986, Classic Manufacturing Company used a 1-acre portion of the site that included the utility building for the manufacture of plastic fishing worms. Vita-Green Inc., a company that blended and packaged potting soils for home garden use, moved onto the site in 1981 and used an area adjacent to the TCC production facility. Vita-Green ceased operations in 1998.
The TCC facility has been subdivided into four tax parcels – the largest parcel is about 15 acres. The other three parcels encompass the remaining one acre. The site's largest parcel was purchased in 2005, and is currently in commercial use as a storage facility for recreational vehicles, boats, trailers, and other vehicles. The new owners have cleared the collapsed portion of the main production building and have converted the remaining building and slab as well as the adjacent uncontaminated land into a storage facility.
In 2006, a commercial trucking operation which hauls spring water purchased the remaining three parcels at the site. The company maintains the property as an unpaved parking area for tank trucks used to haul water.
The site is located in an area of mixed agricultural, residential and commercial/industrial uses. Areas surrounding the site are experiencing significant development pressures.
Threats and Contaminants
Contaminants of concern at the site are pesticide-related compounds (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), Chlorobenzilate, and their partial-breakdown compounds) both in the soil and ground water originating from production activities at the site. The contamination has primarily impacted surface and shallow subsurface soils and the shallow ground water aquifer on site.
Site Cleanup Plan
The site has three operable units (OUs): OU-1 (soil and ground water contamination and potable well replacement); OU-2 (interim action carbon filter systems); OU-3 (sitewide contamination which replace the OU-1 remedy).
The Record of Decision (ROD) for OU-1 was issued in 1987. The major components of this remedy included thermal treatment of contaminated soil plus ground water recovery and treatment. This remedy was not implemented.
The ROD for OU-2 was issued in 2000. The OU-2 ROD was an interim ROD designed to minimize the risk posed by potential off-site migration of site-related ground water contaminants. Cleanup elements included:
- Survey potable well owners in the immediate vicinity of the site to determine whether they would like their wells to be outfitted with carbon absorption units
- Install eight carbon filters on six potable water wells servicing ten residences located in the immediate vicinity of the site.
- Periodic ground water monitoring to ensure carbon filters are working as intended.
The ROD for OU-3 was issued in 2006. This remedy replaces components of the 1987 (OU-1) ROD that were not implemented by addressing the contaminated soil, as well as ground-water contamination resulting from past facility operations. Major cleanup elements included:
- Excavation of contaminated surface and shallow subsurface soils that exceed soil remediation goals, with consolidation and off-site disposal of contaminated soils.
- Wetland delineation and delineation of contaminated sediments in the off-site wetland and surface water discharge areas.
- Treatment of remaining contaminated subsurface soils in the saturated zone via in-situ biodegradation and bioventing treatment.
- In-situ bioaugmentation of contaminated ground water.
- Implementation of monitored natural attenuation to reach inorganic ground water remediation goals and remaining organic ground water remediation goals after bioaugmentation.
- Implementation of temporary institutional controls to restrict on-site land and ground water use until remediation goals are met.
Cleanup Progress
In 1983, EPA and the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation performed an emergency removal action to mitigate the immediate threat to human health and the environment posed by the site. Approximately one million gallons of contaminated water were removed from the wastewater pond and treated using activated carbon filtration prior to discharge to a nearby ditch. EPA also excavated and disposed of 3,800 cubic yards of contaminated soil and sediment and 72 drums of other hazardous waste from the pond and burn/burial pit area.
In 1988, a second removal action addressed contaminated storage tanks, concrete pads, and underlying contaminated soils. These excavated materials were contained on site to be addressed through the site's final remedy.
The OU-1 remedy was never implemented except for the replacement of a single residential well.
The implementation of the 2000 interim ROD included two components: carbon filter system installation with continued maintenance and ground water monitoring. Filters were installed on six nearby residential wells in 2003, and have been replaced in mid-2003, 2005, and 2007.
The ROD for OU-3 is currently being implemented. Excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated shallow soils exceeding cleanup goals is targeted to occur in early 2010.
The first Five-Year Review (FYR) for the site was finalized in 2008. The FYR found that protectiveness of the cleanup remedy could be maintained by regular monitoring of potable wells, maintenance of the carbon filters and by implementing the institutional controls called for in the 2006 ROD.
Enforcement Activities
TCC stopped all discharges into the pond after a State Circuit Court order in July 1980.
A Consent Decree for the site was finalized with the responsible party in 1987 but they did not comply with the requirements of the document.
In April 2007, EPA and the current owners of the largest site parcel negotiated a Windfall Lien settlement.
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Tower Chemical 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
- Reuse Fact Sheet (PDF) (1 pg, 274K, About PDF)
Future Work
Additional treatability studies for ground water cleanup are planned for 2010. Implementation of a ground water remedy will follow after a specific treatment approach is identified from the treatability studies.
EPA continues to monitor and maintain the eight carbon filter systems while concurrently proceeding to implement permanent connections to the municipal water supply line which now runs along County Road 455.
The next FYR for the site is scheduled for 2013.
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.
Cooper Memorial Library
831 W. Minneola Avenue
Clermont, FL 34711
Administrative Record Index
- OU-1 (PDF) (1 pg, 30K, About PDF)
- Amendment (PDF) (2 pp, 60K, About PDF)
- OU-3 (PDF) (3 pp, 160K, About PDF)
For documents not available on the web site, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.