Pesticide Warehouse I

Overview

Pesticide Warehouse I is a 1-acre active pesticide storage and preparation facility in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. It has operated since 1953, first under the Puerto Rico Land Authority and later under Agrocampos, Inc. starting in 1999. Workers mixed pesticides with water in tanker trucks, and leftover chemicals were disposed of directly on the ground next to the main warehouse. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 2006 after investigations in 1996 and 2001 found poor housekeeping, broken pesticide bags, and drums without containment measures.

EPA identified 26 contaminants of concern in soil. These include pesticides such as aldrin, dieldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, lindane, toxaphene, and DDT compounds. Metals including lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and chromium are also present, along with chlorinated dioxins and furans, diuron, and diazinon. Groundwater samples have detected heptachlor epoxide, dieldrin, 4,4'-DDE, and endrin. The site is divided into two operable units (OUs): OU1 addresses soil and OU2 addresses groundwater.

EPA and the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board (PREQB) conducted combined remedial investigation and feasibility studies for both OUs from 2007 through 2020. On September 30, 2020, EPA issued a Record of Decision selecting cleanup remedies for both units. For soil, the plan includes institutional controls to restrict land use, excavation of contaminated soil, onsite thermal treatment, offsite treatment and disposal, and groundwater monitoring. For groundwater, EPA determined that no action is necessary. Remedial design for the soil OU began in May 2023 and is estimated to conclude between June and August 2027. Remedial action is expected to start between December 2027 and February 2028. Construction has not yet been completed, and the site remains on the NPL.

Community members can review the Record of Decision for both OUs and get involved by contacting EPA or the PREQB. EPA's office is at City View Plaza II, Suite 7000, in Guaynabo and can be reached at (787) 977-5865, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm by appointment. The PREQB's Emergency Response and Superfund Program is located at Edificio de Agencias Ambientales Cruz A. Matos in the San José Industrial Park in San Juan, reachable at (787) 767-8181, extension 3207, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm by appointment.