Background
The former Agrico Chemical Site, now known as the “Agrico Site,” is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the National Contingency Plan (NCP). Both components make up the Superfund Program. As of May 1997, the sources of contamination related to the former fertilizer manufacturing operations were cleaned up under the Superfund Program, and the site is currently in a long-term natural attenuation monitoring program for groundwater. All former buildings have been removed, and the secured site now consists of a grass-covered field with two large ponds serving as stormwater controls.
The Agrico Site is located in Pensacola, Florida, at 118 East Fairfield Drive, immediately northwest of the Fairfield Drive and Interstate 110 interchange. The Agrico Site covers approximately 35 acres and lies in an area of predominantly commercial/industrial land use. Another separate and unrelated Superfund site, Escambia Wood Treating Site, is located less than 1,000 feet to the northwest of the Agrico Site. A State of Florida managed environmental site, known as the Kaiser site (also known as Site 348), is located north of the intersection of Palafox and Cross Streets, or about one-half mile south of the Agrico Site.
The Agrico Site has been divided into two separate Superfund management units: Operable Unit 1 (OU-1) and Operable Unit 2 (OU-2). OU-1 includes the area within the property boundaries of the Agrico Site that was used to manage the remedial actions related to on-site impacted soils and sludges. Operable Unit 2 includes impacted groundwater downgradient of OU-1.
The history of the facility began in 1891, with the opening of the Goulding Fertilizer Company. In 1911, the facility was sold to The American Agricultural Chemical Company (TAACC). The operations were then sold to Continental Oil Company in 1963, and the facility operated as a subsidiary to Continental Oil Company known as Agrico Chemical Company. Continental Oil Company is a legacy company to ConocoPhillips, Inc. The Williams Companies, Inc. (Williams) acquired Agrico Chemical Company from Continental Oil Company in 1972. Operations at the plant ceased in 1975, and Williams sold Agrico Chemical Company to Freeport-McMoran Resource Partners (FMRP) in 1987. In 1994, Conoco, Inc. and FMRP entered into a consent agreement with EPA to remediate the site. ConocoPhillips, and Williams acting on behalf of Agrico, managed remediation activities for the Agrico Site and continue to manage the monitoring, maintenance, and regulatory reporting for the site.