Koppers Superfund cleanup starts; EPA open house Oct. 21

A new phase of cleanup at the former Koppers wood-treatment site in northwest Gainesville is due to start this month. The work includes an underground wall more than a mile long to hold in contaminated groundwater.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will explain the work at an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21. It takes place at the former Koppers facility, 200 NW 23rd Ave. EPA staff will take questions, Alachua County said in a release.

Work runs into mid-2027, according to the EPA’s October 2026 fact sheet.

What the cleanup includes

Beazer East Inc., which owns the Koppers side of the site, is doing the work under a 2013 consent decree with the EPA. The fact sheet lists:

• A groundwater cut-off wall about 5,300 feet long and about 65 feet deep on average, to contain groundwater tainted by the old wood-treatment plant
• Soil removal from the city’s former Municipal Storage Yard: soil piles, surface soil and ditch sediment, moved inside the wall
• A new storm pipe to replace the Florida Department of Transportation drainage ditch that runs through the property, routed around the wall
• Tree clearing and new fencing, including fencing along NW 23rd Avenue in front of the property

The existing groundwater extraction and treatment system keeps running. A soil cover over the area inside the wall is planned as a later, separate project.

What neighbors should expect

Work will generally happen in daylight, Monday through Friday, and on Saturdays when needed, the fact sheet said.

The EPA said:

• residents next to the western and northern edges of the property will likely see tree clearing and heavy machinery
• road closures are not expected
• nearby businesses are not expected to be affected
• Beazer’s contractor will run real-time noise and air monitoring, with lab samples to check that dust, noise and airborne contaminants at the boundary stay under health-protective levels

People driving or walking along NW 23rd Avenue may also notice the work.

Why the site is contaminated

The Cabot/Koppers Superfund Site covers about 140 acres near North Main Street and NW 23rd Avenue. It is two former plants, the EPA said:

The Cabot side has mostly been redeveloped for commercial use. The Koppers side is the one being cleaned up now.

The EPA lists the main contaminants on the Koppers side as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene, pentachlorophenol, certain metals and dioxin. The agency issued its cleanup plan, the Record of Decision, in February 2011.

Over the past 30 years, soil has been dug out and replaced at 100 nearby properties, the EPA said. Cabot Corporation has finished most of its own cleanup, including a separate cut-off wall on its side. This month’s work is on the Koppers side only.

What happens to the land

Once cleanup goals are met, the property will be suitable for several kinds of development, with limits on digging that could disturb the cleanup systems, the EPA said. Beazer and the city have agreed to build a walking and biking path on the property for public use.

The work was planned with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department and the City of Gainesville.

What it means for you

• Go to the open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 200 NW 23rd Ave. It is an open house, so you can arrive any time in those two hours.
• Live next to the site? Expect equipment and tree clearing on the western and northern edges from this month. No road closures are planned.
• Questions before then: EPA Community Involvement Coordinator Zariah Lewis is at 404-562-8342 or lewis.zariah@epa.gov. A Spanish version of the fact sheet is available from the same address.
• Read the documents on the EPA’s Cabot/Koppers site page. The fact sheet notes computers are available at the Alachua County Library, 401 E. University Ave.
• Need an accommodation to take part? The county’s Equal Opportunity Office is at 352-374-5275, at least two business days ahead.