It’s not easy to put a price tag on bringing peace of mind to a community. But it is possible to measure the impact of eliminating a threat to public health and safety. And there is lasting impact from restoring land for generations of reuse. Black & Veatch has achieved all that in its work at the site of a Florida wood treating company.
In 1982, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gained passage of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, known as the Superfund Act. Black & Veatch was one of the original three Superfund contractors. Black & Veatch continues to work with the EPA on a variety of projects, including Superfund sites.
The Superfund program was designed to address abandoned, accidentally spilled or illegally dumped hazardous waste that poses a threat to human health or the environment. One such Superfund site was the Escambia Wood Treating Company (ETC) site in Pensacola, Florida. It was a former wood-preserving plant that operated from 1942 to 1982.
The facility treated wood with chemicals to prepare products such as telephone poles and marine pilings. When the ETC owners abandoned the facility, they left behind three open surface impoundments and one pond backfilled with plant waste. The EPA investigated the site and confirmed that the soil and groundwater were contaminated with hazardous chemicals.
Successful Remediation
In 1991, the EPA began an emergency cleanup. Much of the waste was taken off-site for disposal. However, about 220,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil was excavated and stockpiled at the facility. It remained for more than 15 years. The large stockpile was nearly 25 feet high and as long as an aircraft carrier. Another 200,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil outside of the stockpile also had to be addressed.
As the EPA worked to secure funding and resources for this major cleanup, the site, and especially the soil stockpile, became an eyesore to the community. It also raised concerns about the health effects from exposure to contaminants. The massive stockpile of contaminated soil remained a priority for EPA cleanup. The EPA chose Black & Veatch to design and oversee the construction of a subsurface containment cell to permanently confine the contaminated soils.
Black & Veatch engineers designed the containment cell to be compatible with the planned redevelopment of the site into an office park. Black & Veatch and the EPA listened to an array of key stakeholders to determine the key issues. They got input from former residents as well as local government and other local leaders.
Black & Veatch successfully remediated the site. The project earned certificates of appreciation from the community as a testament to the success of these efforts. Black & Veatch engineers designed the containment cell to be compatible with the planned redevelopment of the site into an office park.
