OSWER/OSRTI

Washington, DC 20460

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL) 

***Final Site*** September 2010 

SANFORD DRY CLEANERS Sanford, Florida

Seminole County 

 Site Location:

The site is located on South Palmetto Avenue in Sanford, Seminole County, Florida. There are two contiguous properties 

totaling approximately 1 acre in the historic section of downtown Sanford. Buildings occupy the majority of both of these 

properties. Lake Monroe is 1⁄2 mile to the north.

 Site History:

Downtown Dry Cleaners and Laundry was established on the 121 South Palmetto Avenue property in the 1940s. In 1964, 

the business expanded onto 113 South Palmetto Avenue, and in the 1970s, the properties were sold and business operations 

continued under the name of Sanford Dry Cleaners. Dry cleaning operations continued until 2001. 

 Site Contamination/Contaminants:

Tetrachloroethene (PCE) and its biodegradation products, such as trichloroethene (TCE), were found in the soil and ground

water at the site. PCE, TCE and cis-1,2 dichloroethene (DCE) were found in shallow and deep ground watersamples from 

the surficial aquifer at concentrations above the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs). 

The highest levels of total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were found in the shallow and deep ground water wells near 

the back door of the building on 121 South Palmetto Avenue. Up-gradient ground water sample results confirm that the 

VOC-contaminated plume originates at the site. Ground water samples from a well 150 feet to the northeast of the site 

contained PCE breakdown products, some at concentrations above their MCLs. 

 Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: 

Ground water is contaminated with volatile organic compounds at concentrations above drinking water standards. 

Contamination was found in the surficial aquifer at 15 feet and 35 to 45 feet below land surface. The Floridan aquifer, 

which contains the potable drinking water, is about 80 to 90 feet below land surface. There are nearly 50,000 people served 

by the 15 municipal supply wells within 4 miles of the site. There is a risk to human health from the ground water 

migration pathway and contamination of public drinking water. 

 Response Activities (to date):

There have been no cleanup activities done at the site to date. 

 Need for NPL Listing:

The State of Florida referred the site to EPA. Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated, but are not viable at 

this time. EPA received a letter of support for placing this site on the NPL from the state. 

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change 

as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination.]

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these 

substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet 

at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.