The Tropicana Energy Company, Inc. Site (hereinafter the "Site") is an abandoned fuel blending facility. The Site has been used for various petroleum refining and storage operations since approximately 1934. This Site and the adjacent R&H Oil Company, Inc. (hereinafter "R&H") Site share common historical owner/operator(s) and as such may also share in a portion of the environmental contamination located on the two sites. The Site consists of 11 Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs) and associated piping, and 27 drums. The key problem areas of the Site include the hazardous substances in the drums, residual materials in the tanks and piping, potential soil contamination, and free product on the shallow ground water.
Since mobilizing to the site on August 13, 2001, the EPA and its contractors have conducted site preparation activities; awarded subcontracts for demolition and disposal; and, have opened all tanks with a pneumatic nibbler in an attempt to visually inspect the materials, and determine the appropriate disposal sequence.
The planned removal activities for the Site include the removal/disposal of materials in tanks, piping, equipment, and other containers; demolition of tanks, piping, and equipment; and, removal/disposal of any visibly contaminated soils.
The next steps will be to remove/dispose of the materials located in the tanks, piping, equipment, and miscellaneous containers; and, the demolition of the tanks, piping, and equipment. The demolition activities will supplement the removal of the materials from the tanks, piping, and equipment as well as allow visual/field identification of contaminated soils.
This Site is generating a significant amount of community interest in part due to the wide spread ground water contamination resulting from chlorinated solvent releases from Kelly Air Force Base. This Site is located less than 1/4 mile from Kelly Air Force Base. Preliminary sampling of monitoring wells located on the Site show free hydrocarbon products floating on the shallow ground water. Additional investigations will be necessary to determine the exact constituents and the extent of the plume. This Site is currently proposed to the National Priorities List (NPL) along with the R&H Site.
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