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B&B Chemical
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Buildings on B&B Chemical site
- Additional Site Photos
- Site Video
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: FLD004574190Location: Hialeah, Dade County, FL
Lat/Long: 25.839580, -080.300130
Congressional District: 21
NPL Status: Proposed: 06/24/88; Final 08/30/90
Affected Media: Ground water, Soil
Cleanup Status: Construction Complete: physical cleanup activities at the site have been completed
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Continued use - industrial
Site Manager: Bill Denman (denman.bill@epa.gov)
Site Background
The B&B Chemical site is located in Miami-Dade County in the City of Hialeah, Florida. The site comprises 4.5 acres and is situated in an area of dense light industry at 875 West 20th Street. Several other Superfund sites are also located nearby. The site has impacted the Biscayne aquifer, a sole-source aquifer, supplying the needs of the City of Hialeah.
In the mid-1970s, the Dade County Department of Resource Management (DERM) documented the presence of wastewater residues in five soakage pits at the site. In 1981 and 1982, construction workers excavating near the site complained of skin burns and irritation. In 1985, DERM requested that EPA investigate conditions at the site. This investigation confirmed the presence of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds in the site's ground water and soil. A plume of contaminated ground water had migrated across the street, south of the site. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990.
Threats and Contaminants
EPA identified four contaminants of concern (COCs) for the site: benzene, chlorobenzene, vinyl chloride, and chromium. One COC – chromium – was later determined not to be a true COC for the site.
Initial threats identified included possible human exposure to contaminated ground water and soil. A newly identified potential issue was vapor intrusion (i.e., the possible exposure that could occur if volatile organic compounds were to migrate from contaminated ground water through the soil and into buildings on the site). The subject was further evaluated and determined not to pose a current problem at the site.
Site Cleanup Plan
The cleanup plan for the B&B Chemical site was issued in a Record of Decision (ROD) in 1994. Major components of the cleanup approach included:
Natural attenuation of ground water contaminants (i.e., the use of natural processes to clean up contamination).
Institutional controls (ICs) over the south-central part of the property. The ICs provide for a notification agreement between EPA and the current landowner to ensure continued integrity of the existing asphalt/pavement cover.
Ground water monitoring to verify that natural attenuation is occurring.
Cleanup Progress
B&B Chemical, Inc., under an agreement with Dade County, operated a ground water recovery and treatment system from August 1988 until the early 1990s. This ground water treatment brought ground water contaminants down to levels which EPA believed were low enough for natural attenuation to finish the job. The implementation of the natural attenuation remedy is considered to have started on the date of first monitoring, December 7, 1995.
The most recent Five-Year Review for the site, completed in 2007, found that the cleanup approaches identified in the ROD are protective of human health and the environment. Performance standards established for COCs in ground water have been attained in all monitoring wells, and the COCs do not impact the nearby municipal well field.
In June 2009, EPA issued an Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) which required a restrictive covenant to be placed on the property to ensure the long term protectiveness of the remedy. EPA is working with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the site owner to get the restrictive covenant in place. Once the restrictive covenant is in place, EPA will begin the process to delete the site from the NPL.
Enforcement Activities
In 1989, EPA sent notice letters to B&B Chemical, offering the company the opportunity to conduct the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) and informed them of their potential liability for all costs associated with the site. B&B Chemical declined to perform an EPA-approved RI/FS.
In 1993-1994, EPA issued a Unilateral Order requiring the removal of the pump from the ground water recovery well. This action was taken to assure that levels of contamination detected in monitoring wells were not being influenced by cyclical operation of the ground water recovery and treatment system.
In 1995, EPA issued a Unilateral Administrative Order to B&B Tritech, Inc., formerly known as B&B Chemical, directing B&B Chemical to perform the work described in the 1994 ROD.
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the B&B Chemical site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process. Outreach activities have included public notices and information meetings on cleanup progress and activities.
Fact Sheets
- Reuse Fact Sheet (PDF) (1 pg, 402K, About PDF).
Future Work
Long-term ground water monitoring was initiated in late 1995 and has continued at approximately six month intervals.
The next Five-Year Review is expected to be completed by April 2012.
Site Administrative Documents
Site Repository
For more information or to view any site-related documents, please visit the site information repository at the following location. As new documents are generated, they will be placed in the information repository for public information.
John F. Kennedy Memorial Library
190 West 49th Street
Hialeah FL 33021
Administrative Record Index
- OU-1 (PDF) (10 pp, 506K, About PDF).
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office