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NPL Site Narrative for Escambia Wood - Pensacola
ESCAMBIA WOOD-PENSACOLA
Escambia County, Florida
Federal Register Notice: December 16, 1994Conditions at Proposal (August 23, 1994): Escambia Wood-Pensacola is located at 3910 North Palafox Street, in a primarily low-income, minority area of Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida. The facility is an abandoned wood preserving plant which operated from 1942 until 1982. During its operational period the facility treated wood products with creosote and pentachlorophenol. Three open surface impoundments remained at the facility after its closure. Another backfilled surface impoundment was located in the northeast portion of the facility.
In November 1980, Escambia Wood-Pensacola filed a RCRA Part A application, but there is no record of a RCRA Part B application for the facility. In 1986 the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation (FDER) determined that the backfilled surface impoundment was an unpermitted disposal area not regulated under RCRA. In 1990, a RCRA Facility Assessment was conducted at the facility, but the facility is no longer classified under RCRA.
Sampling investigations were conducted at the facility by EPA in April 1982, FDER in September 1987, EPA in April and June 1991, and by EPA in May 1992. During the various investigations, pentachlorophenol and numerous other creosote constituents were detected at elevated concentrations in ground water samples. In addition, pentachlorophenol and several other organic and inorganic analytes were detected in numerous surface soil, subsurface soil, and sludge samples collected during the investigations.
In 1985, Escambia Wood-Pensacola conducted a partial removal action that removed sludges from the three surface impoundments. A subsequent removal conducted in 1988 removed the contaminated wooden side walls of the two small impoundments. During both of these removal actions, the waste was taken off-site for proper disposal. In addition, approximately 220,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil have been excavated from two pits and stored in piles at the facility. The presence of an observed release to ground water at the facility indicates that hazardous substances were released prior to the initiation of removal activities at the site.
The primary source of ground water in Escambia County is the Sand-and-Gravel aquifer, which lays beneath the facility. Approximately 20 public water supply and numerous private wells located within 4 miles of the Escambia Wood-Pensacola facility are completed within the Sand-and-Gravel aquifer and serve approximately 129,330 people. The nearest public supply well is located 1 mile northeast of the site.
Status (December 1994): EPA has started a fund-lead Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) at the site. To enhance community involvement during the RI/FS process, EPA has established a Community Working Group for the site. Members will have an opportunity to comment on EPA documents and will serve as a conduit for disseminating information to the community at large.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.