EPA v. REEVES SOUTHEASTERN SITE

Case summary

SITE CONSISTS OF 2 OPERATING FACILITIES LOCATED ACROSS THE STREET FROM ONE ANOTHER: THE 17.36 ACRE REEVES SOUTHEASTERN GALVANIZING (SEG) FACILITY ON THE NORTH SIDE OF STATE ROAD 574, & THE 11.6 ACRE REEVES SOUTHEASTERN WIRE (SEW) FACILITY LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF STATE ROAD 574. THE SEW FACILITY IS LOCATED TO THE EAST OF & DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THE PEAK OIL SUPERFUND SITE, WHICH IN TURN IS LOCATED TO THE EAST OF & DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THE BAY DRUMS SUPERFUND SITE. SEG FACILITY LISTED ON NPL; SEW FACILITY WAS NOT; HOWEVER, IT IS CONSIDERED TO BE PART OF SITE SINCE CONTAMINATION WAS FOUND THERE & IS BEING ADDRESSED IN EPAs OU1 ROD. THE SEG FACILITY PRE-TREATS & GALVANIZES COMMERCIAL STEEL PRODUCTS. A 300-GAL TANK SITUATED IN A SMALL RECTANGULAR AREA IN THE NW CORNER OF THE MAINTENANCE SHED WAS USED IN THE 1960'S AS A WASTEWATER CATCH BASIN DURING ELECTROPLATING OPERATIONS. SEG UTILIZED 2 DEPRESSIONS AS PERCOLATION/EVAPORATION PONDS FOR DISPOSAL OF PROCESS WASTEWATER GENERATED BY PLANT. PONDS LATER ENLARGED TO THEIR PRESENT SIZE OF 100' BU 100' EACH, WITH 5' BERMS SURROUNDING THEM & BELOW GRADE DEPTH OF ABOUT 10'. PONDS USED TIL 1982, WHEN CURRENT WASTEWATER PRETREATMENT SYSTEM WAS INSTALLED. SEG'S WASTEWATER IS NOW DISCHARGED INTO THE LOCAL POTW. AT SEW FACILITY, STEEL WIRE IS DRAWN, WEAVED INTO CHAIN LINK FENCE, PRE-TREATED & GALVANIZED. FACILITY UTILIZED 3 PERCOLATION/EVAPORATION PONDS FOR DISPOSAL OF WASTEWATER. 1st POND (APPROX 75' BY 25') CONSTRUCTED IN 1955 & USED UNTIL BACKFILLED IN LATE 1960'S. A 2nd POND WAS CONSTRUCTED PRIOR TO 1969; IT WAS SUBDIVIDED IN 1975 TO FORM THE 2 CURRENT PONDS IN THE SW PORTION OF FACILITY. BOTH PONDS ARE 35' BY 35', WERE EXCAVATED TO A DEPTH OF 3', & ARE SURROUNDED BY A 3' BERM. DISCHARGE OF PROCESS WASTEWATERS INTO THESE PONDS CEASED IN 1980. WASTEWATERS CURRENTLY ARE DISCHARGED INTO THE POTW. IN 1981, EPA CONDUCTED A SITE INVESTIGATION; REVEALED ELEVATED METAL LEVELS IN SURFACE WATER & GROUND WATER AT SEG FACILITY. BASED ON RESULTS OF EPAs STUDY & SUBSEQUENT STUDY BY FLORIDA DER, SITE WAS PLACED ON NPL IN 1982. IN 1985, A CONTRACTOR HIRED BY REEVES CONDUCTED ADD'L STUDIES WHICH INDICATED CONTAMINATED GROUND WATER IN SURFICIAL AQUIFER UNDERLYING BOTH REEVES FACILITIES. IN 1988, REEVES SOUTHEASTERN CORP SIGNED AN AOC TO CONDUCT AN RI/FS ON THE SOILS, SEDIMENTS & SURFACE WATERS AT THE REEVES SITE. ALSO, REEVES, ALONG W/ A GROUP OF PEAK OIL SITE PRP'S, SIGNED AN AREA-WIDE GROUNDWATER RI/FS AOC & JOINTLY CONDUCTED A STUDY OF GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION AT THE REEVES, PEAK OIL & BAY DRUMS SITES. EPA CONDUCTED A WETLANDS IMPACT STUDY FOR THE REEVES SOUTHEASTERN, PEAK OIL & BAY DRUMS SITE. THE SITE-SPECIFIC RI/FS CONCLUDED IN 1992 & CONFIRMED THE PRESENCE OF METAL CONSTITUENTS (PRIMARILY LEAD, ZINC & CHROMIUM) AT ELEVATED LEVELS IN SOILS, SEDIMENTS & SURFACE WATERS AT THE SEG & SEW FACILITIES. THE RISK ASSESSMENT DETERMINED MAIN RISKS POSED BY SITE ARE EXPOSURE OF CHILDREN, IN A FUTURE RESIDENTIAL USE SCENARIO, TO LEAD CONTAMINATION FROM INGESTION OF SOILS, & CONTINUING MIGRATION AT UNACCEPTABLE LEVELS OF SITE CONTAMINANTS FROM SOILS & SEDIMENTS INTO GROUNDWATER. ALSO, RISKS TO FUTURE ON-SITE WORKERS & ON-SITE RESIDENTS FROM GROUNDWATER CONSUMPTION EXCEED THE ACCEPTABLE RANGE FOR SURFICIAL AQUIFER. ON 10/13/92, EPA ISSUED THE OU 1 ROD FOR REEVES SITE SOILS, SEDIMENTS, & SURFACE WATERS. THE REMEDY CONSISTS OF: EXCAVATION OF CONTAMINATED SOILS & SEDIMENTS ON SEW & SEG FACILITIES; BACKFILLING OF EXCAVATED AREAS W/ CLEAN FILL; SOLIDIFICATION/STABILIZATION OF CONTAMINATED SOILS & SEDIMENTS; DISPOSAL OF SOLIDIFIED MATERIAL ABOVE WATER TABLE ON SEG FACILITY; & INSTALLATION OF A LOW-PERMEABILITY CAP OVER SOLIDIFIED MATERIAL. CLEANUP LEVELS SET FOR LEAD, ZINC & CHROMIUM. THE EST COST OF IMPLEMENTING OU1 ROD IS $551,000. AREA-WIDE GROUND WATER RI/FS IDENTIFIED 3 AREAS OF CONCERN: THE NORTHERN SURFICIAL AQUIFER, WHICH IS PRIMARILY IMPACTED BY METALS; THE SOUTHERN SURFICIAL AQUIFER, WHI

Defendants (1)

• REEVES SOUTHEASTERN CORP.Named in complaintNamed in settlement

Facilities (1)

• SOUTHEASTERN GALVANIZING DIV

  9520 E BROADWAY, TAMPA, FL, 335500

  Registry ID: 110010624495

Statutes cited

• CERCLA 107A — Cost Recovery

Enforcement conclusions (1)

• REEVES SOUTHEASTERN CORP.entered 1995-07-17

  Primary law: CERCLA

Timeline (7 milestones)

• 1984-12-31Enforcement Action Data Entered
• 1993-04-30PRN Sent
• 1994-04-22Referred To Dept Of Justice
• 1994-11-02Complaint Filed With Court
• 1995-07-17Final Order Lodged
• 1995-07-17Final Order Entered
• 1995-07-17Concluded