![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Florida Steel Corporation
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Warehouse on Florida Steel property.
- 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: FLD050432251Location: Indiantown, Martin County, FL
Lat/Long: 27.041110, -80.506110
Congressional District: 23
NPL Status: Proposed: 12/30/82; Final: 09/08/83
Affected Media: Ground water, Sediment, Soil
Cleanup Status: Construction Complete. Physical cleanup activities have been completed, ground water treatment is ongoing
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Anticipated industrial, commercial, or utility mixed use
Site Manager: Bill Denman (denman.bill@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Florida Steel site was acquired by the Florida Steel Corporation (FSC), now Gerdau AmeriSteel, in 1969 to build a steel mill for recycling scrap steel into new steel products, including concrete reinforcing steel and various round and square sizes of wrought iron and steel bars. The mill operated from November 1970 until February 1982, when FSC decided to temporarily cease production at the facility. The mill has not been operated since that time and the company has no plans for its reopening.
The site covers approximately 151 acres and prior to development of the steel mill consisted mostly of brushland with some swampy areas. Adjacent properties include residential, industrial, agricultural and power-generating uses, including a 300MW power plant.
Threats and contaminants
Soil at the FSC site was contaminated with lead, zinc, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Lead and zinc contaminated soil was due to prior disposal of emission control (EC) dust in two on-site disposal areas. EC dust is the residue collected in steel mill air pollution control equipment. The PCB contamination in soil resulted from leaks of hydraulic fluid that contained PCBs. Ground water at the site is contaminated with sodium and radium. The sodium in ground water is due to the periodic discharges from an industrial water softener. The radium is naturally occurring but may have been concentrated by the operation and discharge of the water softener.
Site Cleanup Plan
The cleanup plan for the FSC Site covered two operable units (OUs): OU-1 (soil cleanup) and OU-2 (Southwest wetland and ground water remediation).
The Record of Decision for OU-1 was issued in 1992. Major components of the cleanup approach included:
- Excavation and off-site disposal of approximately 600 cubic yards of soil contaminated with PCB levels above 50 parts per million (ppm).
- Excavation and on-site solidification of approximately 37,000 cubic yards of EC dust and metals contaminated soil and ash, soil containing lead above 600 ppm, and soil containing PCB levels between 25 and 50 ppm.
- Control of surface water runoff from the site during remediation of on-site soils.
- Disposal, in an on-site double lined Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) landfill with a RCRA cap, of all solidified material.
- Periodic monitoring of surface water and ground water quality for up to 30 years.
The Record of Decision for OU-2 was issued in 1994. Major components of the cleanup approach included:
- Ground water cleanup, including extraction of ground water, blending extracted ground water with clean water from upgradient portion of the site to meet federal and state MCLs, and disposal of the blended water through upgradient land application.
- Wetlands cleanup for the upper portion of the Southwest Wetland, including removal of contaminated sediment and revegetation. Excavated wetland sediment which contains lead at concentrations above 600 ppm would be solidified and disposed of in the on-site landfill.
Cleanup Progress
Cleanup of contaminated soils and sediments at Florida Steel site has been completed. Several actions were undertaken to address contaminated soils at the site. Ground water treatment is ongoing.
Initial cleanup activity included the removal of above ground EC dust piles during the mid 1980's. In addition, PCB contaminated soil was incinerated onsite during 1987 and 1988.
Soil cleanup began in January 1995 and was completed in 1996. The contaminated soil was treated by solidification and the solidified soil was then disposed of in a RCRA landfill constructed at the site. Approximately 100,000 tons of contaminated soil were treated and disposed of at the site during this cleanup activity.
Wetland cleanup began in 1995. Contaminated sediment was excavated from the areas of the wetland with the highest metals concentrations. Nearly 75 tons of excavated sediment was solidified along with other contaminated soil and disposed of in the on-site landfill. Remaining excavated sediment with low metal concentrations (between 160 and 600 ppm) was used as a soil amendment in upland areas located on the site. The affected portion of the wetland was replanted with native wetland plants.
The ground water treatment system was installed at the site in 1996, and the system has been extracting and treating ground water since. Contaminant concentrations continue to decrease and the ground water system will continue to be operated until cleanup standards are reached.
Institutional controls are currently in place to restrict the use of the property for residential, child care, recreational, and agricultural uses. Commercial and industrial uses are permitted.
Site cleanup activities are being led primarily by potentially responsible parties with oversight by EPA and the State of Florida.
Enforcement Activities
Under a 1985 Consent Agreement between FSC and the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation, FSC excavated approximately 11,200 cubic yards of soil, sediment, and EC dust containing PCBs from the site. This PCB-contaminated material was placed in an on-site landfill. In addition, under a 1987 Administrative Order on Consent between FSC and EPA, incineration of the soil and sediment stored in the on-site landfill began during October 1987 and was completed in 1988.
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Florida Steel site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the NPL cleanup process. Outreach activities have included site fact sheets, public notices, public presentations, and information meetings on cleanup progress and activities.
In addition, an information repository has been at the local public library in Indiantown since March 1992. The repository contains the Administrative Record and other documents detailing cleanup activities at the Site.
Future Work
The ground water remediation system will continue to operate until ground water remediation goals are achieved or until EPA and FDEP determine that the current ground water remediation approaches are no longer effective.
Because of the on-site landfill, which contains soil with lead, cadmium, and zinc contamination, as well as ongoing ground water remediation, additional five-year reviews are still required for the site. The next Five Year Review for the FSC site is scheduled for 2011.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.
Indiantown Public Library1502 S.W. Adams Ave.
Indiantown, FL 34956
Administrative Record Index
Fact Sheets
- Ready for Reuse Fact Sheet (PDF) (38 pp, 1.7MB, About PDF)
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.