Airport West site

The Airport West location site is in the northwest sector of Miami-Dade County, extending beyond the Urban Development Boundary (UDB), with US-27 forming its western boundary, and northwest of the current RRF. It encompasses two parcels totaling approximately 416 acres, primarily owned by the county, with approximately 377 acres dedicated to wetland preserve areas. The County’s proposal entails developing roughly 180 acres of the total site. The site is accessible within a 10-minute drive to US-27 or Florida's Turnpike. The location is set over 0.5 miles from residential zones and about 13.4 miles northeast of the Everglades Class I area's boundary.

Public Health Update: The report, submitted to the County on April 11, 2023, confirmed low human health risks across all sites, remaining within or below regulatory limits. The new WTE air emission health risk is four times less compared to exposure to car exhaust and gasoline living in Miami-Dade County. For perspective, the estimated excess lifetime cancer risks level from breathing benzene from gasoline or car exhaust and gasoline living in Miami-Dade County stands at 1.5 in a million, while WTE emissions is 0.4 in a million, per the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Air Toxics Screening Assessment (USEPA 2017). This surpasses the initial risk assessments for residents near a conceptual Miami-Dade WTE facility at the RRF, Medley, and Airport West sites. In addition, due to the close proximity to the Airport West site, the Okeechobee site should yield similar results, Moreover, the report indicates minimal ecological risks from air emissions at these sites, suggesting no significant impact on the health of surrounding ecological communities. Studies, preliminary air modeling, and screening-level assessments suggest the feasibility of developing a new WTE facility within the county at any of the -three sites.