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Kalama Specialty Chemicals

Kalama Specialty Chemicals
EPA ID: SCD094995503
Location: Beaufort, Beaufort County, SC
Congressional District: 02
NPL Status: Proposed: 09/08/83; Final 09/21/84
Project Manager
Site Repository:
Beaufort County Library
311 Scott St.
Beaufort, SC 29902
Documents:About Adobe Portable Document Format

Site Background:
Two specialty chemical companies operated separately at the 50 acre Kalama Site. From 1973 to 1977, the first firm, Vega Chemical produced a wide range of chemicals in small special order batches. Kalama bought the property in 1977 to manufacture fosamine ammonium, a herbicide and plant-growth regulator. The facility closed in 1979, after one of the reactors exploded setting the facility on fire. This event caused spillage of various organic chemicals on the site. After the explosion and fire that company purchased 34 acres adjacent to the original 16 acres, consisting of a former trailer park, two treatment lagoons, and several structures. The trailers were removed, but several abandoned, dilapidated buildings still remain. In 1988 it was reported that a demolition company was operating on the site, but the operation was moved off-site in the same year. The original site once contained a wastewater lagoon that, at one time, overflowed into a tile drainage field and a separate holding lagoon. This overflow, the explosion, and the fire are the sources of contamination of the surficial aquifer as well as a lesser degree of contamination in the lower limestone aquifer. The site is important geologically as it is in the center of a recharge area for groundwater. The site is located on Highway 21, adjacent to a Marine Corps Air Station, the vacant trailer park, and a cement plant. The closest home is located less that 100 yards from the site and a day care center is located less than 1/4 mile south of the site. Both the home and the day care center are presently vacant. Some 2500 residents live within a mile of the site. A gas station, cement plant, and drive-in theater are the only abutting properties to the site currently operating. Site contaminants consist of BTEX Compounds (benzene, toluene, eythylbenzene, and xylene) and 1,2 dichloroethane (1,2-DCA).

Cleanup Progress: Actual Construction Underway
The site was originally a state-lead site from 1983-1986. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) shifted responsibility for the remediation to EPA. An Administrative Order on Consent was signed in 1988 by the sole PRP, Kalama Chemical Inc. to prepare both a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) and a Baseline Risk Assessment (BRA) under EPA oversight. Recalcitrance on the PRP's part over unsubstantiated claims in several versions of the RI/FS and BRA delayed the documents' approval until 1993. A Record of Decision was issued on September 28, 1993, that called for excavation of contaminated soils on site with either off-site disposal, or volatilization and stabilization of soils on-site. Contaminated groundwater was to be remediated through construction of a groundwater pump and treat system. EPA also required long term monitoring of the lower aquifer. Contaminated soil was removed from the site in June 1995. EPA excavated 604 cubic yards of soil and 80 cubic yards of sentiment, eliminating the potential for off-site contaminant migration. An interim pump and treat has operated since August of 1995 to evaluate operational issues. Design of the full scale groundwater pump and treat was completed in the Spring of 1997 and construction was completed in July 1997. The system has undergone several modifications to make it more effective, including the addition of an additional air stripper and chemical scrubber to the system to lower a potential odor and the enlargement of a discharge pond. The system has been operating continuously since December 1998. As of November, 2007, the system is currently treating 40 gallons per minute of contaminated groundwater. Since the last major modification to the system in January of 2000, the groundwater treatment system has treated over 127,807,806 gallons of groundwater and successfully removed over 161.75 pounds of benzene,  606.39 pounds of 1,2-Dichloroethane, 387.88 pounds of ethylbenzene, 34.42 pounds of methylene chloride, and over 774 pounds of total xylenes.  A new Operation and Maintenance contractor was by the PRPs in May 2006, which has greatly improved the operation of the treatment system. In April 2003, a 5-year review was conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers. The purpose of a Five-Year Review is to determine whether remedial actions at the Site remain protective of human health and the environment. The Five-Year Review found that the remedial actions taken continue to be protective of human health and the environment. Groundwater sampling was conducted every 4 months, but was changed to a twice annual schedule in mid-2007.  Sampling was most recently conducted in May, 2009.  The second five Year Review of the site was completed on July 2, 2008.  It found that the remedy is still protective for human health and the environment.  Off site contamination was found at the adjacent Coastal Concrete Plant Facility.  Additional work will be conducted at the Kalama site to determine if contamination from the Kalama site is the source.  In addition several residences near the treatment plant’s discharge pond will be sampled to determine if vapor intrusion is present.

For information about the contents of this page please contact Donna Bledsoe

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