Alachua County's Director of Environmental Protection is pleased that after more than three decades, cleanup will finally begin on the 90-acre Koppers Superfund site in North Gainesville.
On Tuesday, a federal judge approved the cleanup plan, which had been submitted in February, between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the owner of the property, Beazer East, Inc.
Remedial actions for which Beazer will be responsible include capping the contamination on the property of the former wood treatment facilities, as well as removal of contaminated soil from dozens of residential properties in the Stephen Foster Neighborhood.
Perhaps the most significant outcome of the consent decree for local residents requires Beazer East to continue monitoring test wells in the area.
That will help ensure toxic chemicals from the site do not continue to move toward GRU's well field and the Floridan aquifer.
Hear a 21-minute interview below with Chris Bird, director of Alachua County's Environmental Protection Department.