Florida Steel Corp.

Overview

Florida Steel Corp. is a 151-acre former steel mill in Indiantown, Florida, that operated from 1970 to 1982. It was added to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983 after waste handling practices contaminated soil, sediment, and groundwater. The site sits in Martin County, about 10 miles east of Lake Okeechobee. Cleanup is divided into two operable units (OUs). OU-1 addresses soil, and OU-2 addresses the Southwest Wetland and groundwater.

EPA identified 12 contaminants of concern across the site. These include cadmium, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), radium, radium-226, sodium, and zinc. They appear in soil, groundwater, sediment, and residual materials. The primary groundwater contaminant is sodium, with concentrations close to cleanup standards. Contaminated groundwater is mostly within the site boundary, though a small portion extends off site.

Major cleanup work happened between 1994 and 1998. The responsible party solidified and disposed of 100,000 tons of contaminated soil in an on-site landfill, removed contaminated sediment from wetland areas, and replanted affected wetlands with native plants. A groundwater treatment system started in 1996 but shut down in 2009 after a wildfire damaged the spray irrigation equipment. EPA and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection determined that monitored natural attenuation would not work, so the system is being restarted. In 2013, institutional controls were added to limit future land use to industrial or commercial purposes, protect the landfill's integrity, and restrict use of contaminated groundwater until cleanup goals are met.

Human exposure is currently under control, and groundwater migration is stabilized. Soil and sediment cleanup is complete. The South Florida Water Management District has designated the area as a groundwater delineation zone, requiring approval for all new wells. A Memorandum of Agreement between EPA and the District further limits water use and well construction. The site achieved ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in April 2015 but has not yet been deleted from the NPL. The most recent Five-Year Review, completed in August 2021, found that cleanup actions protect human health and the environment in the short term. The next Five-Year Review is estimated for August through October 2026.

Community members can stay involved through EPA outreach activities, which include public notices, public meetings, and interviews. Site documents are available at the Martin County Library System at 15200 SW Adams Avenue in Indiantown, Florida, reachable at (772) 597-4200. Specific questions can be directed to EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the site's Remedial Project Manager.