Florida cattle dipping vats

Between about 1915 and 1960, cattle dipping vats were built and used across Florida under state and federal programs against Cattle Tick Fever. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) says available records indicate that over 3,200 vats were in use at some time. The concern today is what was in them. DEP says the most common pesticide associated with the vats is arsenic, and that DDT and toxaphene were also sometimes used.

In a Phase I ESA

ASTM E1527-21 does not name cattle dipping vat lists among its standard record sources. On former ranch land in Florida, a vat is a question for both the records review and the site visit.

• DEP says it lacks location information for most vats. There was no requirement for vats to be reported, licensed or permitted. Apart from a relatively few specifically reported vats, DEP says it does not have specific information on their locations. Its records are State Livestock Board listings that identify vats by ranch name, property owner or a local landmark, with no other details. A parcel that is on no list is not cleared by that.
• The cleanup list is narrower still. DEP posts a list of vats where it has been involved in some aspect of investigation and cleanup as of August 26, 2019, and says it is not an exhaustive list of all cattle dip vats.
• County lines moved. DEP says county lines have changed several times since the vat program began, and it posts maps of Florida county boundaries for 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940 and 1950. Look under the county the land was in at the time.
• The site visit is the best test. DEP says the best way to determine whether an abandoned vat is on a parcel is an actual site inspection of areas suspected to have been used for cattle ranching. It says vats tended to be near roadways or other access points, and that remnants of gates and pens may remain.
• What to look for. DEP describes a typical vat as an elongate trench 4 to 6 feet deep with a drop-off entry at one end and a ramp at the exit end, usually with a drip pad and pen area. Many were left in place or filled in with dirt and dried vat sludge. DEP posts photographs.
• Where contamination sits. DEP says contaminated soil tends to be fairly close to the vat and groundwater plumes, if any, are typically not extensive, but that the full extent cannot be known without a field investigation.

DEP says there is no requirement in Florida for a private landowner with a vat to take corrective action, though a landowner can do so voluntarily under section 376.306, F.S. If the landowner wants a Site Rehabilitation Completion Order, the work must follow Chapter 62-780, F.A.C., on the Contaminated Site Cleanup Criteria page.

DEP groups cattle dip vats with two other special classes of sites: coordinated cleanup of polychlorinated biphenyls, and manufactured gas plants. Its Special Site Classes page links a document on the assessment and remediation status of Florida manufactured gas plants, dated February 2019.

Where to look a site up

All of these are linked from DEP's Cattle Dipping Vats (CDV) page:

• a list of known vats by county;
• the list of DEP cattle dip vat cleanup sites;
• a historical overview of vats found by county;
• a list of known vats in southeast Florida;
• the historical county boundary maps and the photographs.

Getting the file

DEP's OCULUS document system gives access to public records associated with permitted facilities and activities. Documents are filed under a DEP program and facility, so have the facility or site name or the facility identification number. The paper records route and the fees are on the Public records and OCULUS page.

Sources

Florida Department of Environmental Protection pages, read October 6, 2026:

• Cattle Dipping Vats (CDV), last modified October 1, 2026.
• Special Site Classes, last modified October 1, 2026.
• Public Records, last modified October 2, 2026.