Poor housekeeping and equipment maintenance resulted in soils becoming heavily impregnated with oil and the formation of a layer of organic chemicals on the shallow Biscayne Aquifer beneath the site.
Pits covering an extensive area on the site contain sludges generated in the oil recycling process.
Although the area was filled and paved over in 1970-74, it continues to discharge oily materials, especially during the rainy season. More than 150,000 people obtain their drinking water from these wells. DER filed suit against Petroleum Products in June 1984 in Broward County Circuit Court to force the company to clean up the site or to allow the State to use its own funds and then to assess penalties for cost recovery. The order required the company to perform tasks outlined in an Immediate Removal Work Plan, which is incorporated as part of the Consent Order. In May 1986, DER began a State-financed remedial investigation involving the contaminated ground water, soil, and sludges.