Starting in 1966, roughly 15 spills and leaks from Miami International Airport operations released about two million gallons of fuel and other materials into the ground. The contamination threatened groundwater near the Lower Miami Springs Municipal Well Field, which supplies drinking water to homes and businesses in the area. The site sits above the Biscayne Aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for southeastern Florida. EPA added the site to its Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983 to address the contaminated groundwater and surface water.
Eastern Airlines, identified as the responsible party, led the cleanup work under EPA oversight. Between 1971 and 1973, the company installed separator trenches and recovered about 133,000 gallons of Varsol, a petroleum substance. Miami-Dade County later installed 43 monitoring wells and three recovery wells. Those recovery wells pulled out more than 102,000 gallons of jet fuel between 1983 and 1984. After further investigation found no remaining contamination, EPA determined in 1985 that no additional cleanup was needed and selected a "No Action" remedy for the site.
EPA deleted the site from the NPL on September 1, 1988, confirming that cleanup goals had been met. EPA assessments confirm that human exposure is under control and that groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. EPA continues to monitor the affected groundwater to confirm contamination stays within the original area. The site achieved "sitewide ready for anticipated reuse" status in 2009 and currently supports public service land uses, with two on-site businesses employing 240 people and generating roughly $79.5 million in annual sales.
Because the site has been deleted from the NPL, no further cleanup activities are expected. The Record of Decision explaining the investigation results is available for public review. Community members with questions about the site can contact the EPA Remedial Project Manager.
