Aztec Ceramics

The Aztec Ceramics site is located at 4735 Emil Road in San Antonio.The facility was used for the manufacture of ceramic tile products forabout 50 years. Operations ceased in 1988. At the time of proposal to the state Superfund registry, there were three surface impoundments on the north side of the property. Drums of waste oil had been spilled in various locations throughout the warehouse. Also, there were drums of waste glaze materials deteriorating in the warehouse.

• April 11, 1995, a legal notice was published in the Texas Register, (20 TexReg 2733) describing the site, and proposing the site for listing on the state Superfund registry. [Read the text of the legal notice in PDF. (Help with PDF .)] A public meeting to receive citizen comments was to be held at the Carver Branch Library on May 16, 1995.
• May 16, 1995, a public meeting was held at the Carver Branch Library to receive community comments on the proposal to list the Aztec Ceramics site on the Superfund registry.
• July 20, 1996, TNRCC issued a work order to determine the nature and extent of contamination (remedial investigation).
• January/February 1999, all buildings were demolished and the debris was removed from the site. The work was done by the property owner under an agreement with the Texas attorney general.
• February 1998, TNRCC removed approximately 200 drums of waste from the site.
• February 22, 1999, Phase II of the remedial investigation field work, to better define the volume of contaminated soils and glaze waste, was under way.
• June 2, 1999, the Phase II report was approved by the TNRCC, marking the end of the remedial investigation phase.
• July 16, 1999, legal notices were published in the Texas Register, (24 TexReg 5593)and the San Antonio Express-News, to propose non-residential land use specifications for remediation of the site contamination. The land use designation may be considered in any remedial action proposed for the site. [Read the text of the legal notice in PDF. (Help with PDF .)] A public meeting was to be held August 17, 1999, at the Barbara Jordan Center on East Commerce Street
• August 17, 1999, a public meeting was held at the Barbara Jordan Center to receive community comments on the proposal to use non-residential land use specifications for remediation of the site contamination. The land use designation may be considered in any remedial action proposed for the site.
• September 3, 1999, legal notices were published in the Texas Register, (24 TexReg 7056-7057) and the San Antonio Express-News, to present to the community the cleanup alternatives and to receive citizen comments to be considered in the final recommended remedy, which was consolidation and containment with capping. [Read the text of the legal notice in PDF. (Help with PDF .)] A public meeting was to be held October 7, 1999, at the Pfeiffer Elementary School in San Antonio.
• October 7, 1999, a public meeting was held at Pfeiffer Elementary School in San Antonio to receive comments on the proposed cleanup alternative, which was consolidation and containment with capping.
• June 6, 2000, TNRCC issued a final administrative order, directing the potentially responsible party to develop a remedial design and perform the remedial action. The order set cleanup levels, selected the remedy for cleanup, and established rules, responsibilities and enforcement options for remedial design/remedial action under state Superfund process. Included with the order was a directive to maintain and monitor the site after the cleanup work was completed.
• June 16, 2000, effective date of a final TNRCC administrative order, setting cleanup levels, selecting the remedy for the cleanup, and establishing rules, responsibilities and enforcement options for the remedial design/remedial action under the state Superfund process. By issuing the order, the TNRCC has determined that the facility poses an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health and safety or the environment and has listed the site on the state Superfund registry.
• July 17, 2000, no responsible party submitted a good faith offer to perform or fund the remedy by the deadline specified in the administrative order.
• August 23, 2000, an affidavit of lien payable to the commission was filed in the Bexar County real property records by the TNRCC. The lien was filed pursuant to the Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act, Texas Health and Safety Code §361.194, to recover the state's remediation expenses.
• October 17, 2000, a work order was issued to prepare the remedial design for the cleanup. The remedial design is the engineering phase. It includes engineering drawings and specifications for construction of the remedy. The remedial action will implement the design.
• February 2002, TNRCC and the contractor finalized the remedial design for the asphalt cap remedy for the site.
• July 9, 2002, TNRCC issued a work order to the contractor for implementation of the final remedy.
• July 25, 2002, an updated copy of the community relations plan was prepared for the Aztec Ceramics Corporation site. [Read the text of the community relations plan in PDF. (Help with PDF.The PDF file does not include illustrations or copies of documents cited. The complete community relations plan is available as part of official repository records at the Carver Public Library in San Antonio and at the TCEQ Records Management Center.
• August 23, 2002, the project manager approved the asphalt cap completing the remedy.
• August 28, 2002, The project manager approved the final closeout report for the completion of the remedial action of the asphalt cap. An operation and maintenance plan was initiated to begin annual groundwater monitoring and maintenance inspections of the cap and the surrounding fence which protects against any vehicular traffic across the cap.
• September 1, 2002, effective date of the name change from Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
• May 16, 2003, a legal notice was published in the Texas Register, (28 TexReg 3989-3990) proposing to delete the site from the state Superfund registry in accordance with 30 TAC §335.344(c), and inviting public comment on the determination that the site no longer presents an imminent and substantial endangerment to the public and the environment. Ground water will continue to be monitored on an annual basis, and maintenance inspections will be performed on the cap and the perimeter fence. [Read the text of the legal notice in PDF. (Help withPDF.)] A public meeting was scheduled June 17, 2003, at the Pfeiffer Elementary School.
• June 17, 2003, a public meeting was held at Pfeiffer Elementary School to receive community comments on the proposal to delete the site from the state Superfund registry. A summary of the comments made and the TCEQ's response to those comments was prepared in the responsiveness summary. The responsiveness summary was mailed to the meeting attendees and also made available at the repositories. [Read the summary of the response to comments and an attached transcript of the public meeting discussion, in PDF.
• September 2003, during the month, the site was referred to the office of the Texas attorney general for cost recovery action. The attorney general filed a notice of claim against the responsible parties.
• November 21, 2003, a legal notice was published in the Texas Register (28 TexReg 10553-10554), officially deleting the Aztec Ceramics site from the state Superfund registry in accordance with 30 TAC §335.344(c). It was determined that the site no longer presented an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health and safety or the environment. Ground water will continue to be monitored on an annual basis, and maintenance inspections will be performed on the cap and the perimeter fence. Read the text of the legal notice in PDF. A deed notice has been filed in the real property records of Bexar County which restricts use of the property to commercial - industrial (non-residential).
• April 2005, a work order was issued to perform the annual operations and maintenance work at the site. The work consists of annual groundwater monitoring and inspection of the asphalt cap.
• May 2005, annual operation and maintenance was performed at the site by the TCEQ contractor. Sampling results continue to demonstrate that the cap that covers the on-site waste vault is performing properly and the groundwater is not impacted by contaminants of concern.
• April 2006, annual operation and maintenance was performed at the site by the TCEQ contractor. Sampling results continue to demonstrate that the cap that covers the on-site waste vault is performing properly and the groundwater is not impacted by contaminants of concern.
• March 30, 2007, a work order was prepared to perform the annual operations and maintenance work at the site during the month of April. The work consists of annual groundwater monitoring and inspection of the asphalt cap.
• August 22, 2007, the TCEQ approved the report of annual operations and maintenance activities conducted in April, 2007

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E-mail: superfnd@tceq.state.tx.us if you have any questions.