Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan, Inc. (PBS&J) was retained by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to perform a Level I Environmental Site Assessment for a series of parcels in downtown Tampa identified as the Tampa Police Station. The site is approximately 18.76 acres in size and includes the Tampa Police Station (I 71 0 N. Tampa Street), the Water Works site (1810 Highland Avenue), Substation 4/Fleet Maintenance (1710 Doyle Carlton Drive), and the Land Surveyor Office (1801 North Highland Avenue). The investigation also includes a vacant parcel northwest of the above-mentioned properties that is bounded by North Boulevard to the west, Oak Avenue to the north, Ola Avenue to the east, and a small, unnamed local road to the south.

The Tampa Police Station was chosen as an area of potential Brownfields redevelopment by the City of Tampa (COT). The Level I Assessment was performed as part of PBS&J's Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) contract with the DEP to determine whether this site should be considered further as the preferred alternative for the COT Brownfields Program. The assessment included a review of the public record combined with a site reconnaissance to identify hazardous waste or petroleum contamination that may have occurred as a result of present or past site uses.

Upon completion of the Level I investigation, it is the -opinion of PBS&J, Inc. that there is a significant potential to encounter soil and/or groundwater contamination throughout each parcel identified as part of the subject property. The following concerns were noted:

• Underground storage tanks (UST) are or have been located at the Police Station, the Water Works, Fleet Maintenance, and the Surveyors office. Some of the USTs have a long service history.

• Minimal soil and groundwater testing were performed during historical UST closures. Records show that groundwater testing during the UST closure at the Fleet Maintenance revealed the presence of benzene and total VOAs in exceedance of allowable state levels.

• Vehicle maintenance and repair activities have been conducted over a long period of time at the Fleet Maintenance facility, the Water Works site, and the Surveyor's office. Oils, greases, and solvents used during such activities have been known to impact environmental quality if used, stored, or disposed of improperly.

• No information was available through the COT regarding the maintenance or cleaning of an oil/water separator at the fleet maintenance facility. This system currently being used in conjunction with an on-site car wash. Floor drains from the maintenance building may also drain into the system.

• Based on a review of the historical aerial photographs, landfilling and dumping activities may have occurred on the western portion of the vacant parcel.

• Landfilling has also occurred. along the western edge of the substation parcel near the river when the seawall was installed.

• Regulatory files revealed that proper tank closures were not conducted for any of the UST removals. County regulatory files state that because of the parcels' status as EDI sites, a proper closure was not necessary. As a result, no analytical data are available, and it is unknown whether contaminated soil may have been used to backfill the excavations.

• Several petroleum contaminated sites are situated west of the vacant lot where the Hillsborough River curves to the west. Groundwater in this area may flow in a southerly direction instead of a westerly direction. Potential petroleum-related contamination from these parcels could potentially migrate to the vacant lot via the groundwater.

• The subject property is located in the downtown area which has been developed with a mixture of industrial, commercial and residential development for a long period of time. A review of historical aerial photographs revealed that industrial activities have occurred along the Hillsborough River as early as 1938. Vehicle repair activities have been conducted east of the Police Station parcel beginning as early as 1939.

Further investigations are necessary to quantify the extent of soil and/or groundwater contamination. A subsurface investigation consisting of soil and groundwater sampling for laboratory analysis is recommended. to determine whether the above-mentioned activities have adversely impacted the environmental quality of the site.