The American Creosote Works site in Pensacola operated as a wood-treating facility from 1902 to 1981. The 18-acre property sits about 600 yards north of Pensacola Bay and is surrounded by residential neighborhoods and commercial businesses. EPA added it to the National Priorities List in 1983. Cleanup is still underway, and physical construction has not been completed across the entire site.
The facility used creosote until around 1950, then switched to pentachlorophenol (PCP). PCP left dioxin residues as an impurity. Wastewater from operations overflowed into local streets, storm drains, and nearby waterways before 1970. Contaminants are found in groundwater, soil, sludge, and sediment. More than 80 chemicals have been identified, including benzene, naphthalene, pentachlorophenol, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzo[a]pyrene and chrysene, and chlorinated compounds including 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and vinyl chloride.
The site is divided into three operable units. Operable Unit 1 covers source control of contaminated soil. Operable Unit 2 targets groundwater. Operable Unit 3 addresses dioxin-contaminated soils. A dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) removal system has operated since the 1990s and has recovered over 185,000 gallons of creosote, with deeper wells installed in 2009 doubling the recovery rate. A sitewide cleanup plan was signed in September 2017. Remedial design for the dioxin soils was completed in 2019, and remedial action on those soils began in March 2022. EPA received $40 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support cleanup. Institutional controls, including fencing and well-drilling restrictions, are in place to limit exposure.
As of the most recent Five-Year Review published in August 2021, human exposure is not currently under control at the site. Groundwater migration, however, is under control, with contaminated groundwater stabilized and no unacceptable discharge to surface water confirmed. Additional remedial action phases are estimated between September 2026 and September 2028, and the next five-year review is expected between August and October 2026. The community has expressed strong interest in converting the site into a passive park. In 2023, the public voted in favor of a mounded cap design over a flat one.
Community members can attend public meetings or contact EPA directly. A public meeting was held at the Sanders Beach community center in October 2024. Site records are available at two local repositories: the University of West Florida John C. Pace Library and the Sanders Beach-Corinne Jones Resource Center at 913 South I Street, Pensacola, FL 32502, reachable at 850-436-5198.
