Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. (Salinas Plant)

Overview

A 43-acre former tire manufacturing plant in Salinas, Monterey County, California operated from the 1960s to 1980 and released production chemicals into soil and groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1987. The site has since been deleted from the NPL, a step EPA takes when cleanup goals have been met. Today the property operates as the Firestone Business Park, a commercial center hosting small and medium-size businesses.

Eight contaminants are present in groundwater across the entire site. They are 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethene, 1,2-dichloroethane, benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene (mixed isomers). EPA identified these chemicals because they pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment based on the amounts present and possible health effects from exposure. Direct contact with contaminated soil no longer poses a health threat, but groundwater remains contaminated. People could face health risks by ingesting, touching, or inhaling vapors from affected groundwater until treatment is finished.

Cleanup included removing contaminated soil from 1983 to 1984, capping soil in 1984 and 1985, and treating shallow aquifers on and off the site in 1986 and 1987. A combined remedial investigation and feasibility study began in October 1985 and led to selection of the final remedy in September 1989. Remedial action ran from April 1990 through December 1991, followed by operation and maintenance activities until May 1999. The selected cleanup technologies include carbon adsorption, air stripping, extraction wells, and surface water discharge under an NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit. All physical construction of cleanup work is complete, and all required land-use controls are in place. Groundwater treatment remains ongoing.

EPA has determined that human exposure is under control across the entire site, meaning no unacceptable exposure pathways currently exist. Groundwater migration is also under control, with contamination stabilized in the original area. EPA deleted the site from the NPL in April 2005. As of December 2024, eight businesses operated on the property, employing 183 people and generating roughly $69.8 million in annual sales.

Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the site's Remedial Project Manager using the contact information below. All cleanup activities were conducted under state oversight.