Sapp Battery Salvage

Overview

The Sapp Battery Salvage site is a 45-acre former battery recycling facility in Cottondale, Jackson County, Florida. From the early 1970s until 1980, the facility opened lead-acid batteries, removed the lead, and discharged battery acid and plastic casings into an on-site pond and nearby swamps and wetlands. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1983, triggering a formal Superfund cleanup process.

Contaminants of concern include a range of metals tied to battery salvage: aluminum, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, nickel, and vanadium. These metals have been detected in soil, sediment, groundwater, surface water, and air. The contamination caused fish kills in downstream waterways.

Cleanup has been organized into multiple operable units. The site's potentially responsible parties excavated, solidified, and stabilized nearly 94,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil between 1999 and 2001. EPA removed and disposed of more than 58,000 tons of contaminated sediment off site in 2007 and 2008. For groundwater, EPA originally selected a pump-and-treat approach in 1986 but switched to monitored natural attenuation in 2011 after determining the aquifer structure made pumping infeasible. A partial deletion from the National Priorities List was completed in August 2024. The site achieved readiness for anticipated reuse in September 2022.

The 2022 Five-Year Review found the site protective of human health and the environment, with no completed exposure pathways. Groundwater exposure risk is controlled through site restrictions and well-use restrictions enforced by the Northwest Florida Water Management District, which requires approval for any new wells in the area. Lead-contaminated soil remains disposed on site, so EPA will continue conducting Five-Year Reviews on an ongoing basis. The site is currently used as pasture and natural habitat, with zoning restrictions in place to prevent residential development or other uses inconsistent with cleanup levels.

Community members can stay involved through public notices, public meetings, and interviews that EPA conducts throughout the cleanup process. Site documents are available at the Jackson County Public Library at 413 North Green Street in Marianna, Florida. Two EPA contacts are available for questions: Community Involvement Coordinator Tonya Spencer-Harvey and Remedial Project Manager Erik Spalvins.