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Standard Auto Bumper Corp.
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Roof tile facility at Standard Auto Bumper Corporation site.
Additional Resources
- Site Cleanup Terms - can be found in EPA's glossary
- EPA Guides to Cleanup Technologies
- Superfund Community Involvement (PDF) (17 pp, 130K, About PDF)
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: FLD004126520Location: Hialeah, Dade County, FL
Lat/Long: 25.844440, -080.289720
Congressional District: 21
NPL Status: Proposed: 06/24/88; Final: 10/4/89; Deleted: 10/29/07
Affected Media: Ground water, soil
Cleanup Status: Deleted from the NPL – physical cleanup activities have been completed
Human Exposure Under Control: Yes
Groundwater Migration Under Control: Yes
Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use: Yes
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: In reuse – a bakery, a furniture company and a storage facility are located on site
Site Manager: Michael Taylor (taylor.michael@epa.gov)
Current Site Status
The Standard Auto Bumper Corp. site includes the area where Standard Auto Bumper Corporation operated a small electroplating facility from 1959 to 1993. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) of contaminated sites in 1989 because of contaminated soil and ground water resulting from facility operations. The site now also includes two properties next to the original site boundary. EPA, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and Miami-Dade County have investigated site conditions and taken steps to clean up the site in order to protect people and the environment from contamination. Site contamination does not currently threaten people living and working near the site.
Both residents and businesses use the public water system for drinking water. Ground water currently meets federal and state drinking water standards and ground water monitoring no longer occurs. By monitoring institutional controls and undertaking Five-Year Reviews, EPA and FDEP continue to protect people and the environment from site contamination.
Site Location and Background
The 7-acre site is located in a commercial and industrial area of Hialeah, Dade County, Florida. The area surrounding the site includes industrial properties and businesses. A railroad borders the site to the west; to the north, a furniture company, which the site boundary now includes; to the east, an automobile storage area; and to the south, a tile company.
From 1959 until 1972, Standard Auto Bumper Corporation discharged wastewater into a ditch behind its facility. Between 1972 and 1979, the company treated the wastewater and discharged it into a percolation pit. Miami-Dade County found contamination at the site in 1977. In 1989, EPA listed the site on the NPL. Standard Auto Bumper Corporation abandoned the site property in December 1992.
In 1993 and 1994, EPA removed buildings formerly used for electroplating operations from a 1-acre area at the site. In 2005, a roofing company purchased the parcel as a storage area for vehicles and supplies. A bakery and a furniture company are located on the 5-acre and 1-acre properties, respectively, that became part of the site after EPA expanded the original site boundary.
Threats and Contaminants
Site investigations found contamination in soil and ground water that could potentially harm people in the area. Soil and ground water contamination resulted from wastewater disposal practices at the site. Contaminants of concern include nickel and chromium.
Initially, contamination threatened the Biscayne Aquifer, a source of drinking water for Miami-Dade County residents; however, ground water now meets federal and state drinking water standards.
An institutional control in the form of a restrictive covenant is in place on the main facility property that limits the use of the property to industrial land uses. A permit notification system overseen by Miami-Dade County notifies local, state and federal officials about building permits issued for the two site properties outside the original site boundary where soil contamination may remain below the building foundations.
Investigation and Cleanup Responsibility / Oversight
Standard Auto Bumper Corporation, the site’s potentially responsible party (PRP), initially led site investigation and cleanup activities. Since 1993, EPA has led site investigation and cleanup activities in cooperation with FDEP.
Site Cleanup Plan
Site investigations and cleanup activities have focused on two areas, which EPA refers to as operable units, or OUs. These areas include OU-1: source control of the contaminated materials associated with the facility; and OU-2: ground water contamination associated with wastewater disposal practices at the facility.
In 1992, EPA issued a cleanup plan (a Record of Decision, or ROD) for OU-1 and OU-2. The plan included the following activities for OU-1:
- Digging up contaminated soil above the water table.
- Disposing of excavated soil at a Florida Class I landfill. This type of landfill receives an average of 20 tons or more of solid waste per day.
- Monitoring ground water for five years.
The plan included the following activities for OU-2:
- Using monitored natural attenuation for ground water contamination.
- Implementing ground water use controls.
- Monitoring ground water quality.
Cleanup Progress
To address immediate concerns, the PRP removed and disposed of contaminated soil at solid waste landfill and hazardous waste disposal facilities.
Prior to starting the cleanup of OU-1, the PRP abandoned the site in December 1992. EPA took the lead on the site’s cleanup, removing all hazardous material from the site, including low-pH metal plating solutions, plating waste sludge, contaminated soil and chemical containers. In 1994, following completion of the cleanup, EPA demolished and removed all buildings and other on-site structures.
FDEP conducted five years of operation and maintenance activities that included ground water monitoring and sampling. FDEP completed ground water monitoring in 2001 when site ground water met cleanup standards for industrial land uses. In 2007, EPA added a restrictive covenant to the main facility property deed limiting future operations to industrial land uses.
The site’s third Five-Year Review, completed in 2010, found that the cleanup activities continued to protect people and the environment from remaining site contamination. In 2011, EPA issued an Explanation of Significant Differences to require institutional controls and Five-Year Reviews.
Summaries of cleanup activities are also available in Five-Year Reviews online.
Enforcement Activities
EPA negotiated legal agreements with the site PRP to investigate and clean up the site.
In 1991, Standard Auto Bumper Corporation abandoned the site property. EPA assumed responsibility for the cleanup in cooperation with FDEP. In 2004, the City of Hialeah and Miami-Dade County assumed ownership of the portion of the site previously used for electroplating operations due to unpaid property taxes. The current owner bought the property at auction in 2005.
Community Involvement
EPA worked with the community and its state partner to develop a long-term cleanup plan for the site, reflecting the Agency’s commitment to safe, healthy communities and environmental protection. Community engagement and public outreach are core components of EPA program activities.
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities to solicit community input and to make sure the public remains informed about site activities throughout the cleanup process. Outreach efforts have included fact sheets, press releases, public notices, interviews and public meetings.
Future Work
Institutional controls will remain in place at the site.
Monitoring of the two properties outside the original site boundary will continue due to potential soil contamination underneath building foundations. EPA completed the latest Five-Year Review in 2010 and plans to complete the next Five-Year Review in 2015.
Additional Information
EPA keeps additional site documents and information in a site information repository at the location below. EPA also posts site documents, when available, on EPA’s CERCLIS Site Profile page. For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.
Site Repository
John F. Kennedy Memorial Library
190 West 49th Street
Hialeah, FL 33012