![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Pepper Steel and Alloys
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Cargo awaiting shipment at the Pepper Steel 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: FLD032544587Location: Medley, Dade County, FL
Lat/Long: 5.873610, -080.353330
Congressional District:21
NPL Status: Proposed: 09/08/83; Final: 09/21/84
Affected Media: Soil
Cleanup Status: Construction complete: Physical cleanup activities have been completed
Human Exposure Under Control: Yes
Groundwater Migration Under Control: Not a ground water site
Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use: No
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: In commercial and light industrial reuse.
Site Manager: Jan Rogers (rogers.jan@epa.gov)
Current Site Status
The Pepper Steel & Alloys, Inc. site includes three areas where a variety of manufacturing operations took place from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1984 because of contaminated soil resulting from facility operations. EPA, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), Miami-Dade County’s Department of Environmental Response and Management (DERM) and the site’s potentially responsible parties (PRPs) 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. Through cleaning up contaminated soil, putting institutional controls in place and undertaking Five-Year Reviews, EPA, FDEP and the site’s PRPs continue to protect people and the environment from site contamination.
Site Location and Background
The 25-acre site is located near the eastern border of Medley, Florida, approximately 10 miles northwest of Miami and southwest of the Miami Canal. Commercial and industrial areas surround the site, including dock-level warehouses and a storage facility for stackable containers used in the overseas shipping industry.
From the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, a variety of industrial businesses operated at the site. Their operations left behind trash and waste products, including rusted machinery, vehicles, aircraft, oil tanks, transformers, underground storage tanks and batteries. Site activities also included the recycling of electrical transformers, which resulted in the dumping of waste oil on the ground. In 1984, EPA listed the site on the NPL.
In 2005, a trucking and transportation company purchased a 5-acre area of the site as a commercial truck storage area. A pre-cast concrete products company uses the central 10-acre area of the site for its manufacturing operations. The remaining 10-acre area of the site has been leased as a warehouse and storage area.
Threats and Contaminants
Site investigations found contamination in soil that could potentially harm people in the area. Soil contamination resulted from waste handling practices at the site. Contaminants of concern include lead, arsenic and polychlorinated biphenyls (also known as PCBs).
Ground water under the site did not require cleanup. Ongoing ground water monitoring confirms that contamination is not leaking from the capped and solidified soil area into ground water.
Investigation and Cleanup Responsibility / Oversight
Site PRPs lead site investigations and cleanup activities, with oversight provided by EPA and FDEP.
Site Cleanup Plan
In 1986, EPA issued a cleanup plan (a Record of Decision, or ROD) for the site. The plan included the following activities:
- Collecting and disposing of uncontained oil at an authorized and approved off-site disposal facility.
- Digging up contaminated soils above cleanup goals.
- Solidifying and stabilizing contaminated soils with a cement mixture and placing under a cap on site.
- Placing institutional controls on the site to make sure any future land uses will be consistent with the site’s industrial cleanup criteria.
Cleanup Progress
In 1983, EPA collected and disposed of uncontained oil and contaminated soil at the site. From 1987 to 1989, PRPs removed all surface debris and completed soil cleanup actions. These actions included the removal of contaminated soil, solidification of contaminated soil using a cement mixture, and the placement of the solidified soil back into the ground under a cap. The capped area containing the contaminated soil and cement mixture covers 11 acres at the site.
In 2002, EPA and Miami-Dade County’s Department of Environmental Response and Management began operation and maintenance activities at the site. Activities included clearing trees and brush from the site’s capped area and surveying the storm water runoff area disturbed by the tree clearing. Current operation and maintenance activities include monitoring ground water to confirm that the capped area on site remains stable and that no contamination leaks from the structure.
The site’s third Five-Year Review, completed in 2007, found that the soil cleanup, institutional controls and ground water monitoring are functioning as required to achieve site cleanup goals.
Summaries of cleanup activities are also available in Five-Year Reviews online.
Enforcement Activities
EPA negotiated a legal agreement with site PRPs to clean up the site.
In 1997, EPA and site PRPs entered into another legal agreement to establish an EPA special account. This account contains PRP funds set aside to pay for the implementation of long-term operation and maintenance requirements for the site.
Community Involvement
EPA has 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 at the site to solicit community input and to make sure the public remains informed about site activities throughout the cleanup process. Outreach efforts have included public notices, interviews and public meetings.
Future Work
Operation and maintenance activities will continue at the site.
EPA plans to make sure institutional controls are in place for all areas of the site so that future site uses are consistent with the site’s industrial cleanup criteria.
EPA completed the last Five-Year Review in 2007 and plans to complete the next Five-Year Review in 2012.
Additional Inforation
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
Miami Dade County Public Library
101 W. Flagler
Miami, FL 33128