Florida Superfund sites and CERCLA Site Screening

The federal Superfund program is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in cooperation with the states. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has two parts in it. Its CERCLA Site Screening Section assesses sites with confirmed or suspected contamination so that EPA can decide whether to list them. Its Waste Site Cleanup Section coordinates with EPA during EPA-managed remediation of National Priorities List sites in Florida.

In a Phase I ESA

The federal lists are described on the NPL page and the SEMS page. What DEP adds is the state's screening work before a listing decision, and the state's side of the file on a listed site.

• Screening is a step, not a listing. DEP says the section's assessments document whether a release of hazardous substances has occurred and evaluate potential threats to nearby receptors, including drinking water wells and surface water bodies. The information is used to complete a Hazard Ranking System evaluation. EPA then evaluates the score and the supporting information in determining whether the site should go on the National Priorities List. Read what the assessment found and what EPA decided.
• Who did the work. DEP says its staff do the research and file review. Fieldwork, when required, is done by a combination of DEP staff, EPA staff and private contractors.
• A site that does not qualify may go to the state. DEP says its State-Lead Cleanup Program is designed to address sites that do not qualify for Superfund or are a low priority for EPA. Check that program when a screened site was not listed.
• Who pays at a listed site. DEP says the responsible parties may clean up a Superfund site under an agreement with EPA, or EPA may clean it up under a cost-share agreement using federal and state funds.
• Controls at Superfund sites. DEP's institutional controls guidance has attachments on the restrictive covenant process for Superfund sites. See the Institutional Controls Registry.

What the record shows

DEP lists five commitment types for the section's assessments. The names show which ones included sampling.

The section posts quarterly reports by fiscal year (October to September), and end of grant reports. The page read carries them from fiscal year 2018 through the third quarter of fiscal year 2025.

Where to look a site up

• DEP's National Priority List (Superfund) Sites page links a "Quick Look" Summary, which it describes as a list of Florida National Priority List Superfund sites. For complete information on the federal program and on individual Florida sites, DEP points to EPA's Superfund website.
• DEP's CERCLA Site Screening page carries the quarterly reports and links EPA's list of Superfund sites in Florida and EPA's Superfund Enterprise Management System search.
• The Waste Cleanup Program's listed phone number is 850-245-8705.

Getting the file

DEP's OCULUS document system gives access to public records associated with permitted facilities and activities. Documents are filed under a DEP program and facility, so have the facility or site name or the facility identification number. For a paper records search, DEP says to contact the district office's Public Records Coordinator or the Office of Ombudsman and Public Services (Public.services@FloridaDEP.gov, 850-245-2118). The routes and fees are on the Public records and OCULUS page.

Sources

Florida Department of Environmental Protection pages, read October 6, 2026:

• CERCLA Site Screening, last modified August 13, 2025.
• National Priority List (Superfund) Sites, last modified July 9, 2026.
• Waste Site Cleanup Section, last modified July 9, 2026.
• State-Lead Cleanup Program, last modified July 9, 2026.
• Institutional Controls Procedures Guidance, last modified March 12, 2026.
• Public Records, last modified October 2, 2026.