Report on the Remedial Investigation Feasibility Study
September 1996
Executive Summary
This Technical Assistance Report reviews the
Stauffer Tarpon Springs Superfund Site Remedial Investigation and Feasibility
Study as part of the community oversight process. The Remedial Investigation is
a study of site pollution and its impact on the surrounding ecology. The
Feasibility Study models various cleanup projects using risk analysis.
The Remedial Investigation contains a site description, environmental
studies, groundwater and soil sampling surveys, and a health-effects model.
Virtually all of the long-term planning is based on the site description.
The site description for the Stauffer Superfund Site seriously understates
local urban growth and Anclote River usage. The site description used in this RI
is a "snapshot" of the local community as it was in the 1980's. There
is no mention of the massive housing construction encroaching the site since the
plant was closed in 1981, or the extensive developments on the river banks in
nearby Pasco County. The Anclote River is treated only as waterway when it is
clear that the banks of the river are a major residential zone. Long-term
predictions used only the actual 1990 census data, not the predictions for up to
one-million residents regionally impacted in present terms.
Soil, subsurface soil, groundwater, river surface water, and river
sediments were all tested. The primary toxicants are arsenic, beryllium,
and organic carcinogens. Due to the high concentrations of arsenic the
site is both a short-term exposure risk for toxicity and a long-term cancer
risk. With the exception of the organic toxicants the chemicals are all
elemental and will not degrade.
Chemicals move in the environment by volatility, leaching, runoff,
windborne particles, and foodchain contamination. The chemicals at this site are not volatile. Since the waste
ponds on the western edge are hydraulically connected to the Anclote River, this
site was likely a major source of heavy metal contamination in the past. Studies
show that presently the site is not a major threat to the Anclote, but may be
leaching into Meyer's Cove. Both
the surficial aquifer and the Floridan Aquifer are impacted by site toxins, but
there are no drinking wells downgradient that are threatened at this time.
Treatment of the portions of the site that are below the water table is
imperative and should be accelerated. Runoff contamination has occurred in the
past, and may still be occurring in the slag storage areas. Windborne particles
may be spreading in several areas, but apparently do not threaten either the
schoolgrounds or the residential areas north of the site. Arsenic can accumulate
in the foodchain. This was apparently not studied in this Remedial Investigation
and is a deficiency in the design. No conclusions can be reached regarding the
impact on the environment due to the poor design of the studies and the lack of
meaningful data on the river system and terrestrial biota.
There does not appear to be a true systematic sampling plan for this site. Many areas, such as the ponds were sampled and resampled, while other areas were virtually ignored. Much of the long-term planning for the site is based on predictions using surface samples, usually the top 3 inches of soil. However, since considerable construction
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