Hipps Road Landfill sits on 12 acres in Jacksonville Heights, Florida, in Duval County. Waste disposal operations ran there from the mid-1960s until 1970. The U.S. Navy and other parties disposed of materials at the site. Improper closure of the landfill led to contaminated soil and ground water that affected private well water in the early 1980s. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List in 1984.
Ten contaminants of concern have been identified, all found in ground water. They include benzene, vinyl chloride, trichloroethene, dichloromethane, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, dichlorobenzene, 2-butanone, and 4-methyl-2-pentanone. These are volatile organic compounds that posed unacceptable risk to human health and required cleanup action.
Cleanup work began in 1986. From 1988 to 1990, responsible parties removed five homes from the landfill property, installed a clay cap, and completed landfill closure. A ground water treatment system was built in 1994 and later connected to the local water treatment plant in 1996. In 2004, EPA approved a shift to monitored natural attenuation for ground water. The City of Jacksonville extended city water lines to the affected area in October 1983, connecting nearby residents to the public water supply and removing the risk from contaminated wells. The St. John's River Water Management District designated the area as a ground water delineation zone, requiring approval for any new wells.
Human exposure is currently under control. Ground water contamination is stabilized. The landfill cap, land use controls, and institutional controls remain in place. Zoning restrictions prevent residential development that would not be compatible with the cleanup levels achieved. Responsible parties continue to monitor the well network and sample for benzene and vinyl chloride. The site has been redeveloped as a wildlife habitat area with bird boxes installed. Sources differ on the exact deletion date: one states the site was deleted from the National Priorities List in December 2012, while another states deletion occurred in February 2011. The most recent five-year review was completed in September 2025.
Community members can stay informed through public notices, public meetings, and interviews about cleanup progress. Site records are available at the Jacksonville Public Library at 6886 103rd Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32210. Questions about the site can go to the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.
