The East 23rd Avenue Battery Site is located in the City of Tampa, Florida. The Site is approximately 2 acres in size and consists of three adjacent residential yards. The previous owners of the properties used automotive battery casings as paving material throughout the front, side and back yards of the properties. A nearby resident contacted the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission (HCPEC) regarding the Site. A HCPEC inspection of the Site found the battery casings, and that the battery casings were on-site for some time. During this time the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) was also contacted regarding the Site. HCEPC requested EPA conduct a removal site evaluation.
Based on HCEPC’s request, EPA’s ERRB conducted a removal assessment at the Site on March 19, 2005. Screening for lead in soil was conducted with a portable x-ray fluoroscope (XRF). Based on the levels of lead found during the screening, surface soil samples were collected in and around the yards. During the sampling, battery casings and chips were apparent in all three of the yards.
Analytical results indicated the presence of elevated levels of lead, above removal action criteria, in residential surficial soils at the Site. Levels as high as 2,000 mg/kg and 11,000 mg/kg for lead, were found.
