EPA proposes cleanup plan at South Carolina Superfund site

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a plan to conduct additional cleanup at the Koppers Superfund site in Charleston, South Carolina. EPA will hold a public meeting to present the proposed plan and answer questions on Thursday, Sept. 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the International Longshoremen’s Association in Charleston. EPA is also soliciting public comments on the plan for 30 days ending on Oct. 17.

EPA’s proposed cleanup plan presents an amendment to the original remedy, including an estimated $30 million in additional cleanup work on the Koppers site, that will be implemented by a consortium of developers under EPA oversight. This additional cleanup work will facilitate the redevelopment of the Koppers site into a new mixed-use community, EPA says.

The proposed plan identifies changes to the original cleanup that was largely completed in 2003 to be protective under a future commercial/industrial land-use scenario. The Koppers site is a key component of a 200-plus acre assemblage that Charleston has zoned for a mixed-use brownfield redevelopment project known as Magnolia that includes commercial/retail use, office use, residential use, hotel use, and civic and park space. 

The 102-acre Koppers site is in the neck area of Charleston amid industrial, commercial and residential properties. From 1940 to 1978, Koppers operated a wood-treating facility on approximately 45 acres. The remaining 57-acre portion of the site was owned by Ashepoo Phosphate/Fertilizer Works. EPA incorporated these 57 acres into the Koppers site boundary to investigate historical waste disposal practices and environmental impacts.

The additional cleanup work under the Proposed Plan involves:

• in-situ stabilization and solidification of creosote in the subsurface of the old impoundment area instead of the ongoing recovery system;
• installation of a more permanent soil exposure cover to support a change in land use; and
• replacement of existing drainage ditches with a subterranean storm sewer system consistent with future use.

The proposed plan is posted online at https://semspub.epa.gov/work/04/11069917.pdf.  

The proposed plan and other site-related documents are also available for review at the information repository located in the Charleston County public library.

Written comments may be emailed to Craig Zeller at zeller.craig@epa.gov.

After considering all information received during the public comment period, EPA will consult with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and publish its final plan in a record of decision document.