As the 40th anniversary of Earth Day approaches, attention turns to a long-standing environmental problem in the community.
The Cabot-Koppers Superfund site, located on Northwest 23rd Avenue, is the most polluted toxic waste site in the county. Despite statewide efforts to clean up the site, there’s still dirty work to be done.
Residents of a neighborhood on the edge of the polluted Florida Superfund site sued the property owners Tuesday, seeking at least $500 million to decontaminate their homes and monitor their health.
In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Gainesville, more than a half-dozen plaintiffs claim toxins from the site have contaminated their homes within a two-mile radius of the property. They are suing two Pittsburgh, Pa.-based companies — Koppers Inc. and Beazer East Inc. — along with Boston-based Cabot Corp.
They are seeking class-action status for up to 25,000 people.
The lawsuit claims the chemicals are creating an “elevated risk of contracting serious latent diseases, disorders and harm to the physical health and well-being” of the residents. In addition, the complaint claims the contamination has caused home values to plummet.
The suit seeks damages to pay for decontaminating homes and to fund a program to monitor the health of every resident in the coming years.
“There’s a lot more cleanup to be done than has already been done,” said Chris Bird, the Alachua County environmental director. “It’s probably going to be decades before it’s completely cleaned up.”
With the help of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 4, the 90-acre site has been under investigation since 1983, Bird said.
“It’s a complicated site,” said Kelsey Helton, the project manager for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. “But we are optimistic and anxious about finding a remedy.”
In May, a final feasibility study report will be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a solution for the Koppers site, Helton said.
Upon choosing a remedy for the site, the report is reviewed by the EPA and feedback from the public as well as the local and state government is considered.
Site investigators have recently focused on the elevated levels of dioxin, a chlorinated compound, in the residential sites, Bird said.
Dioxin is highly toxic and has very low concentration. The compound is believed to have gotten on the site through wind-blown dust, he said.
Bird said he hopes this particular project will be completed in the next year.
Other areas of concentration include water and soil contamination.
Water contamination is controlled by installing pumping wells and filtering the water, Bird said. Chemicals are also injected into the water to destroy contamination.
“It’s almost like chemotherapy,” he said.
Soil contamination is removed by scraping up the soil and replacing the area with new soil.
Gainesville spokesman Bob Woods said the city has spent $2 million so far to study the extent of water contamination to the region’s underground aquifer.
“There are real concerns about contamination of our water supplies,” Woods said.
Residents living in surrounding residential areas have been actively involved in the cleanup.
“We feel we’ve gotten a death sentence,” said Maria Parsons, a resident of a neighborhood near the site. “We’re living with contaminated water, soil and air.”
A walk through the neighborhood, she said, is a walk through decay and sickness.
“There’s not enough outrage,” Parsons said. “That’s the problem.”
Sandra Kennedy, 46, who lives about a block from the site with her husband and 10-year-old daughter, said her family moved in about eight years ago but always thought they were relatively safe inside their home.
“We always thought the worst of it was outside,” Kennedy said, adding that dust in her home recently tested at more than 1,000 times higher for toxins than deemed safe.
Monica Cooper, a former mayor candidate, lives within a two-mile radius of the Koppers site.
“I am just hoping for a comprehensive cleanup,” Cooper said. “And I will remain vigilant until the cleaning process is completely finished.”
She is involved with the residents of the nearby Stephen Foster neighborhood, who are vocally and actively involved in the progress of the site.
“I hope officials remain strong and do what’s best for the Gainesville community,” she said.
The newly elected mayor, Craig Lowe, said although he is pleased with the city’s cleanup efforts so far, the job is not over.
“As mayor, I will advocate to the Environmental Protection Agency and continue citizen support to ensure the greatest outcome of the Koppers cleanup,” Lowe said.
Bird said after the site is completely cleaned up, it is possible it can be redeveloped and reused.
“The site has a lot of potential,” he said. “The future could look really bright for that.”
The schedule and status of the Cabot-Koppers Superfund site will be discussed at a joint City of Gainesville — Alachua County Commission quarterly meeting.
The meeting, which will be held at the County Administration Building, 12 SE First St., will begin at 1 p.m. on April 29.
The AP contributed to this story.
