Helena Chemical Company Landfill

• Site Profile
• Administrative Record Index (All PDF): OU1 (19 pp., 813K), ROD Amend. (2 pp., 72K), OU1 Amend. 2 (1 pp., 15K)
• Additional Site Documents including Five Year Reviews, Records of Decisions (ROD) and Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD).
• For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office (http://www.epa.gov/region4/foiapgs/submit.htm).

Site Background:
The Helena Chemical site, located in Allendale County, South Carolina, is a 13.5 acre site which formulated pesticides from mid 1960 through 1971. This facility is presently operated as a retail sales outlet for agricultural chemicals. The site was first investigated in November 1980 by the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control (DHEC) as the result of reports by a former employee of Helena that a waste dump was present on the site which contained pesticide residues and other waste materials. Initial soil sampling revealed presence of aldrin, BHC isomers, chlordane, dieldrin, disulfoton, endrin, and toxaphene. Additional investigations revealed groundwater contamination with volatile organics (benzene, chlorlbenzene, chloroform, 1,2-dichloropropane, ethylbenzene, methylene chlorine, and xylene) in addition to pesticides (toxaphene, DDT, BHC, and dieldrin). Contaminated groundwater migrating from the site poses a threat to a municipal well located less than one-quarter mile from the site. Pesticides attributable to the site have spread to adjacent wetlands and pose a potential threat to environmental receptors.

Cleanup Progress: Construction Complete, Groundwater Treatment Underway
A final cleanup decision for the site was reached on April 4, 1994. The remedy for the site consisted of off-site incineration of soils, installation of a groundwater capture and treatment system, and a wetland mitigation package. A total of 5,172 cubic yards of contaminated soil have been removed from the site and incinerated. An additional 7741 cubic yards of contaminated soil were disposed of in off-site disposal facilities. Additionally, construction on the groundwater collection system and implementation of the wetland mitigation package has been completed. The groundwater recovery system is expected to operate for 12 years and process approximately 250 million gallons of contaminated groundwater. In April 2004, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers submitted a Five-Year Report. No issues were uncovered that would affect the protectiveness of the remedy or the future protectiveness of the remedy. Long-term protectiveness of the remedial actions will be verified by obtaining quarterly groundwater and sediment samples. The next five-year review for the Site is under preparation by EPA and is due for completionno later than September 13, 2009. A site inspection and community interviews were held in  May, 2009.The groundwater extraction well/discharge system has operated continuously. The 2007 Groundwater and Sediment Monitoring Report  was submitted to EPA in March, 2008.