Two toxic waste sites hit Superfund list

Two toxic waste sites hit Superfund list

TAMPA - The federal government has designated two Hillsborough County toxic waste sites to the Superfund list for cleanup.
The Raleigh Street Dump, half a mile west of U.S. 41 in Tampa, and the Arkla Terra property at 11706 U.S. 301 in Thonotosassa, both pose health and environmental risks, to surrounding areas and residents, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. State environmental authorities recommended that EPA put both sites on the Superfund list.
Arkla Terra was an underground storage tank refurbishing facility from 1976 to 2006. Solvents, including tetrachloroethene (PCE), were used to clean the tanks prior to repair. The PCE has been found in soil, ground water monitoring wells and private drinking wells.
Tetrachloroethene at high exposure levels can cause dizziness, headaches, confusion, nausea, difficulty in speaking and walking, unconsciousness and death. Long-term exposure can cause cancer.
A plume of PCE that exceeds EPA and state maximum contaminant levels has migrated 7,500 feet into an adjacent residential area. The Hillsborough County Public Health Department sampled 200 private wells around the facility and found 78 wells had PCE at levels higher than federal limits.
The state Department of Environmental Protection installed commercial water treatment systems for residents with contaminated wells and gave $1 million to the county to extend public water lines into the area.
The property is on the Superfund list because the companies responsible for the contamination are not financially viable, according to an EPA press release.
The Raleigh Street Dump is next door to a former battery recycling operation, Chloride Metals. Employees at the recycling company dumped incinerator slag and battery casings at the dump.
Contaminants found at the site include metals, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The contaminants were found in the soil, nearby surface water and shallow ground water.
PCBs and PAHs are considered cancer-causing and can cause other health problems.
In June 2007, EPA issued a proposed plan for cleanup of the soil and water at the Raleigh Street Dump. The companies responsible for the contamination are unwilling to conduct the cleanup, according to EPA.
With all Superfund sites, EPA tries to identify and locate the parties responsible for the contamination to make them pay. The agency also does a full investigation to determine the extent of the contamination, so it usually takes several years for the site to be cleaned up.

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