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Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. Superfund 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: GAD990855074Location: Albany, Dougherty County, GA
Lat/Long: 31.565830, -084.053880
Congressional District: 08
NPL Status: Proposed: 06/24/88; Final: 10/04/89
Affected Media: Ground water, Soil
Cleanup Status: Construction complete - physical cleanup activities have been completed
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: In reuse - tire manufacturing
Site Manager: Charles King (king.charlesl@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company site is located in Dougherty County, Georgia, at 3300 Sylvester Road, approximately one mile east of the city limit of Albany. Land use in the area is predominantly industrial and commercial, with an on-site wetlands area. The facility, which encompasses 329.2 acres, was initially constructed in 1967. The facility included a 1.84 million sq. ft. building with a courtyard area for material handling and shipping. Firestone Tire and Rubber Company leased the facility from 1968 to 1990. Pneumatic tires were manufactured at the facility from 1968 until 1986, when Firestone Tire and Rubber Company ceased operations. Cooper Tire subsequently purchased the site and currently conducts tire manufacturing operations at the plant.
In preparation for cessation of operations in 1986, Firestone voluntarily performed initial assessment activities in 1985 of the facility’s courtyard and burn pit. Based on the results of these initial assessment activities, Firestone voluntarily conducted several interim cleanup activities.
A site inspection conducted in 1988 identified ground water in a portion of the facility (the courtyard area) that was contaminated with volatile organic compounds. In 1989, the site was listed as final on the National Priorities List.Threats and Contaminants
Following interim cleanup actions initiated by Firestone, threats remained in soil and ground water. The primary contaminants of concern affecting the soil and ground water were determined to be volatile organic compounds (VOCs); other organics, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); and metals, including chromium and lead.
Site Cleanup Plan
A Record of Decision (ROD) was issued in 1993 to address remaining contamination in soils and ground water at the site. Major components of the cleanup approach included:
- Excavation of the PCB-contaminated soils until established cleanup levels were reached with disposal of soil in an off-site permitted landfill.
- Replacement of the excavated soils with clean fill material.
- Extraction and treatment of contaminated ground water using existing wells and supplemental wells if necessary.
- Treatment of contaminated ground water using on-site air stripping, the process of forcing air through contaminated ground water to remove harmful chemicals.
- Discharge of treated ground water to the local Publicly-Owned Treatment Works (POTW).,
- Periodic ground water monitoring to assess the effectiveness of the cleanup approach.
- Implementation of institutional controls to restrict well construction and water use on the site.
An Explanation of Significant Difference was issued in 1996 that changed the cleanup approach to omit ground water treatment from the primary portion of the cleanup as long as the contaminant levels in the ground water do not exceed permit discharge limits for the POTW.
Cleanup Progress
Firestone’s interim cleanup activities in the mid-1980s included:
- Removal and disposal of 441 cubic yards of debris and 105 cubic yards of contaminated soil.
- Removal and disposal of transformers and underground storage tanks from the courtyard area.
- Excavation of the burn pit and disposal of 160 drums containing a material similar to rubber cement.
- Installation and operation of an interim ground water collection and treatment system.
Cleanup of approximately 25 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated materials, including soil, was completed in 1994. The soil was excavated and placed directly into lined roll-off boxes that were covered with waterproof tarps and transported to an off-site permitted landfill.
As part of continued efforts to address ground water contamination, unneeded portions of the interim ground water collection system were demolished and remaining portions of the system were inspected/modified. Modification of the ground water extraction system was completed by 1997. The system is expected to achieve cleanup levels within 30 years.
The 2005 Five-Year Review (FYR) for the site determined that the cleanup approach identified in the ROD remains protective of human health and the environment.
Site cleanup activities are being led primarily by potentially responsible parties with oversight by EPA.
Enforcement Activities
Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc., on behalf of Firestone, entered into an Administrative Order by Consent with EPA in 1990 to conduct a Remedial Investigation /Feasibility Study.
Remedial Design and Remedial Action activities were conducted under a Consent Decree signed in 1994.
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company 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.
Future Work
The ground water recovery system continues to operate as designed requiring only minor maintenance and repairs to system components.
The next FYR for the site is scheduled for 2015.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.
Doughtery County Library
300 Pine Ave.
Albany, GA 31701
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.