The Jernigan Trucking Dump Site (the Site) is located off W. E. Fertic Drive in Seffner, Hillsborough County, Florida. The Site is in a predominantly residential area. Jernigan Trucking Dump (JTD) comprises several parcels of land owned by multiple individuals. The Site (total 178.52 acres) is divided into three portions. The northern portion of the JTD property (referred to as the Jernigan portion) consists of two parcels which together encompass 39.5 acres. The southwestern portion of the JTD property (referred to as the Lewis portion) encompasses 59.05 acres. The southeastern portion of the property (referred to as the Fertic portion) encompasses 79.97 acres. The roadbeds along the wetlands and ponds on the Fertic portion of the JTD property run east to west and consist of battery casings.
From the middle to late 1960s through the early 1980s, the original owners of the various properties used the land for mining sand and peat. The land was stripped until clay was encountered, and then debris and rubble were hauled in for use as fill material in the borrowed areas. Materials deposited included construction and demolition (C&D) debris, slag, clinkers, coal residue, kiln dust, miscellaneous trash, and lead-acid battery casings.
All former and current property owners were ordered to remove the battery casings from their properties. In the early 1990s, some or all of the battery casings were reported to be removed from the Lewis portion; however, documentation of the removal is minimal. In 2000 and 2001, battery casing removals occurred on the Jernigan portion of the property. Lead- and arsenic-contaminated soils were excavated from an unknown area of the property and stockpiled. Most of these stockpiles are still onsite. One pile was treated with a mixture of triple superphosphate and subsequently removed to an approved landfill for disposal. On November 28, 2005, EPA completed sampling on the Site. Selected areas of the property were screened for lead contamination in soil using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) screening. Results indicated that lead concentrations exceeded EPA Region 9 Preliminary Remedial Goals (PRGs) and Florida Soil Cleanup Target Levels (SCTLs) in 19 locations. Lead and arsenic, the primary constituents of concern, were present in all media at elevated concentrations compared to background. Elevated arsenic and lead concentrations were most frequently detected in samples collected from the Fertic portion of the Site (where a roadbed made of battery casings is located). The presence of battery casings was observed in the wetland area along the roadbed.
As a result of the sampling, EPA has determined that a removal action is necessary. The removal is a short-term cleanup intended to stabilize or clean up a site that poses an imminent and substantial threat to human health or the environment. The removal is taking place under the authority and direction of the EPA Region 4 Emergency Response and Removal Branch (ERRB).
EPA has entered into two Agreement and Order on Consents (AOCs) with Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs). The Site is broken into two parts, the Northen Portion and the Southern Portion. The Northern Portion consists of the Jernigan parcel and the Southern Portion consists of the Fertic parcel and the southeast corner of the Lewis Parcel. The agreement has the PRPs completing the cleanup with EPA oversight.
The PRPs' contractor mobilized personnel and equipment to the Site on March 20, 2007 to beging the removal. EPA OSC Vorreuter also mobilized to the Site. Site safety plans were reviewed by all personnel and a safety briefing was held prior to the initiation of activities. The following activities are actively being accomplished at the Site:
- The boundaries of the Site were surveyed and the sample grids were established;
- The Jernigan parcel is being sampled to determine the extent of contamination;
- START is documenting site activities, maintaining a photo log, conducting oversight of PRPs' contractor activities and taking split samples to ensure data quality.
The PRPs' contractor will continue the extent of contamination sampling on the Fertic and Lewis parcels. All of the collected samples will be shipped to the contractor's office for field screening using the XRF. The samples will be tested for lead and arsenic. Selected samples will be sent to the lab for analytical results.
The dense vegetation is the limiting factor during the sampling event.
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