The American Creosote Works site is an environmentally polluted Superfund site in the Sanders Beach neighborhood of Pensacola.
Administered by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the site is undergoing environmental remediation.
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Site overview
The 18-acre site is bounded by West Gimble Street to the north, South F Street to the east, West Pine Street to the south, and South L Street to the west.
The site was used by American Creosote Works (ACW) and its predecessors as a wood treating facility from 1902 through 1981. Prior to 1950, the facility used primarily creosote as its wood treating agent; after 1950, pentachlorophenol was the primary chemical used.
Pollution
Prior to 1970, liquid waste at the site was discharged into two unlined ponds. These ponds were allowed to overflow through spillways and via two unlined trenches drained into Pensacola Bay. According to the EPA, "major contaminants in the soil, sediment, and groundwater are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pentachlorophenol (PCP), and dioxin."[1]
Remediation activities
American Creosote works filed for bankruptcy in 1981. Between 1983 and 1986, the EPA drained and treated contaminated water from the on-site ponds and solidified and capped pond sludge. EPA has fenced off the site as well as one of the contaminated trenches, and has installed numerous monitoring wells. Soil and groundwater remediation are ongoing.