$5M In Federal Funds Going To Clean Southern Solvents Superfund Site

TAMPA, FL — A notorious Superfund site in North Tampa will receive cleanup funds as part of the Biden administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Southern Solvents Superfund site in North Tampa is included in the second wave of approximately $1 billion in funding to start new cleanup projects at 22 Superfund sites and speed up more than 100 other ongoing cleanups across the country.

At least $5 million in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds have been granted to the Southern Solvents Superfund Site in North Tampa, the only Superfund site in Florida to receive funds.

"EPC is thankful that adequate monies have been appropriated from the federal government after decades of pollution at the Southern Solvents facility. This important funding will help thermally treat the soils at this Superfund site and assist in protecting the groundwater and Florida aquifer from further contamination," said EPC Executive Director Janet Lorton.

“Tampa Bay is a region with a strong track record of turning contaminated sites into jobs. Communities that are home to Superfunds need a shot in the arm to make sure that everyone has a path to opportunity, success, and a good-paying job. That’s what these grants are all about," said U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, who joined EPA Administrator Michael Regan and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, to announce the historic funding.

"The EPA has been a very good partner for us here in Tampa to create partnerships that allow properties to be redeveloped and cleaned up," said Castor. "I am grateful for the work that the Biden administration and the EPA have done to ensure no communities are left behind and cannot wait to hear of the success stories from around the country as 22 new Superfund cleanup sites are awarded with funds and the 100 ongoing projects receive an infusion of additional, expedited help. When we combine economic development with environmental cleanup, our communities are better for it.”

The North Tampa Superfund site was first issued an EPA clean-up plan in 1999. The new funds will be used to continue cleaning up contamination at the site.

“With this new funding, Administrator Regan is providing the good news of hope for a healthier, more prosperous tomorrow for many communities, including Tampa Bay," Castor said. "Through Superfund cleanups, we are revitalizing neighborhoods, putting Americans in good-paying jobs, and cleaning up the places people call home. Thanks to the over $5 million awarded to clean up Southern Solvent, a former dry-cleaning solvent distributor in Tampa, we’ll be able to clean up soil contamination and limit further groundwater contamination. My North Tampa neighbors know that this site has been on the EPA’s radar since 1999 when it was first issued a clean-up plan Now, thanks to strong bipartisan action, funds are headed home to address this contaminated site."

“The Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County is thankful that adequate monies have been appropriated from the federal government after decades of pollution at the Southern Solvents facility," Lorton said. "This important funding will help thermally treat the soils at this Superfund site and assist in protecting the groundwater and Florida aquifer from further contamination."

“Thanks to President Biden’s historic investments in America, we are moving faster than ever before to progress clean up at contaminated sites — from manufacturing facilities to landfills — in communities across the country,” said Regan “But our work is not yet finished. We’re continuing to build on this momentum to ensure that communities living near many of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination finally get the investments and protections they deserve.”

The $1 billion investment is the second wave of funding from $3.5 billion allocated for Superfund cleanup work in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With the first wave of funding announced in December 2021, EPA deployed more than $1 billion for cleanup activities at more than 100 Superfund National Priorities List sites across the country.

Additionally, EPA started 81 new cleanup projects in 2022, including projects at 44 sites previously in the backlog.

Out of the 22 sites to receive funding for new cleanup projects, 60 percent are in communities with the potential for environmental justice concerns based on data from EJSCREEN, an environmental justice mapping and screening tool that provides EPA with a nationally consistent approach for combining environmental and demographic socioeconomic indicators.

Thousands of contaminated sites exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open or otherwise improperly managed, including in manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills and mining operations.