Miami Drum Cleanup

Miami Drum Services
Miami Drum Services
EPA ID: FLD076027820
Location: Hialeah, Dade County, FL
Congressional District: 21
NPL Status: Proposed: 12/30/82; Final 09/08/83
Project Manager
Documents:
(About PDF)


Site Profile
Redevelopment Success
Additional Site Documents including Five Year Reviews, Records of Decisions (ROD) and Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD).
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office (http://www.epa.gov/region4/foiapgs/submit.htm).
Site Background:
The former Miami Drum site was a drum cleaning and recycling center that was in operation between 1966 and 1981. The site occupied about 1.3 acres and was heavily contaminated as a result poor waste handling practices. The soil and groundwater were heavily contaminated with metals, organic solvents, and other industrial chemicals. The facility was located about two miles north of the Miami International Airport. The surrounding area was mostly commercial, but also contained several municipal well fields.

This site, other Superfund sites, and non-Superfund sites contributed to widespread low-level groundwater contamination in the Biscayne Aquifer. The groundwater is contaminated with volatile organic compounds. The Biscayne Aquifer is considered a "sole source aquifer" and is the only source of drinking water for several counties, including Dade County. The contamination was significant enough to cause the shutdown of several wellfields including the wellfields at the Preston and Hialeah water treatment plants.

Cleanup Progress: Construction Completed
The Miami Drum facility was cleaned up between 1981 and 1982 by Dade County. The county was ultimately reimbursed by EPA and EPA recovered its costs from companies that sent drums to the facility. The property was acquired by Dade County for use as a maintenance yard for its commuter train system. The cleanup decision of the 1985 ROD included the removal and proper disposal of 400 to 500 remaining drums, the excavation and proper disposal of approximately 15,000 tons of contaminated soil, and the treatment of almost 600,000 gallons of contaminated groundwater directly beneath the Site.

The widespread groundwater contamination was addressed by the installation of air stripping towers at the Preston and Hialeah water treatment plants and a wellfield protection plan implemented by Dade County. The air stripping towers have a capacity to treat almost 150 millions gallons per day and have been operational since September 1992. As a result, the previously impacted Preston and Hialeah wellfields were placed back into service. The groundwater treatment system provides the daily drinking water demands of almost one million people in northern Dade County. EPA reimbursed Dade County for the operation and maintenance of the air stripping towers for 10 years until September 2002.

The air stripping towers were built by Dade County with oversight provided by the Army Corps of Engineers and EPA. Construction and operation costs have been shared by Dade County and EPA.

annexation meeting

Annexation meeting tonight was just about what was expected- a whitewash, an overemphasis on the benefits of annexation and short shrift of the potential problems. They continue with the ridiculous statements about going after the owners of polluted properties and making THEM pay for the cleanups. Of course if those companies have been defunct, and out of business fro the past 20 years it will be IMPOSSIBLE to squeeze blood out of that turnip. Superfund has been broke for years. The state and county are broke and facing billion-dollar deficits. WHERE is the money for any needed cleanups going to come from? Corradino admitted tonight that the FEC properties are pretty polluted, and the proposed annexation properties are right next door. He said he didnt THINK it would be a problem but, is that enough? If the County is PRETTY SURE most of the contaminants have been cleaned up and pose no future problems, they wont have ANY problem signing an agreement that states THEY will be responsible for any further cleanups, right? WISHING and HOPING we wont get whacked with a multimillion dollar cleanup is gambling, and BAD business. We need considerably more assurances than that before we decide on annexation! Dr. Mel Johnson