Southern Solvents, Inc.

Overview

Southern Solvents, Inc. is a 1-acre former solvent distribution facility in North Tampa, Florida. EPA added it to the National Priorities List in July 2000 after storage tank spills released solvents into the soil and groundwater. A commercial painting business, AAA Diversified Services, has operated at the property since 1998 and continues to do so under a Prospective Purchaser Agreement signed with EPA in 2004. As of December 2024, that business employed 16 people and generated about $1.06 million in annual sales.

The main contaminants are tetrachloroethylene (PCE, also called PERC) and trichloroethylene (TCE), found in soil and groundwater. Additional contaminants of concern include 1,2-dichloroethene, chloroform, pentachlorophenol, and related compounds. Contamination sits in both the shallow surficial aquifer and the deeper Floridan Aquifer. The primary risk is groundwater, where contaminants leach from the source area downward through soil layers.

Cleanup is organized into two operable units. Operable Unit 1 (OU-1) covers soil and surficial groundwater. Early work included excavation, soil vapor extraction (SVE) from 2005 to 2011, and in-situ chemical oxidation starting in 2009. EPA selected thermal treatment in 2018, installed the system in 2024 using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, and confirmed source area soil cleanup goals were met in 2025. Site restoration and air monitoring are complete, and a final remedial action report is being prepared. A second phase of OU-1 work began in July 2023 and is estimated to finish between October and December 2026. Operable Unit 2 (OU-2) addresses the deeper Floridan Aquifer. A remedial investigation and feasibility study for that unit began in December 1999, but no decision document has been issued for it yet.

Current protections include fencing, secured gates, zoning restrictions against residential use, and a groundwater delineation area administered by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. That designation requires District approval for any new wells, which keeps residents from accessing contaminated groundwater. All nearby residents and businesses use public water, so EPA has determined that human exposure is currently under control. Groundwater migration has not yet stabilized, and construction is not fully complete across the site.

Community members can stay informed through EPA public notices, public meetings, and interviews about cleanup progress. Site documents are available at the North Tampa Branch Library at 8916 North Boulevard, Tampa, Florida 33604. The EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator and Remedial Project Manager handle questions about the site.