Para-Chem Southern, Inc.

• Site Profile
• Administrative Record Index (All PDF): OU1 (14 pp., 591), Deletion (1 pp., 14K), Amend OU1 (4 pp., 184K)
• 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 Para-Chem site located in Greenville County consists of approximately 100 acres of property upon which a manufacturing plant is located. The plant produces acrylic polymers, thickeners, latex coatings, and adhesives for a variety of consumer and industrial applications. Para-Chem notified EPA and SCDHEC regarding three areas on the Para-Chem Site where plant wastes were thought to have been buried between 1975 and 1979. Para-Chem entered into Consent Order 86-17-W, SW with SCDHEC on February 27, 1986, to investigate environmental conditions at the site. This investigation revealed that groundwater was contaminated with acetone, benzene, 2-butanone, chloroform, 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethene, 1,2-dichloroethene, methylene chloride, toluene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethane, and xylene. Remediation of groundwater was initiated with the installation of seventeen recovery wells. Approximately 3,000 tons of drums, waste materials, soil, and debris were also removed from four former disposal areas in 1987 under this Consent Order. An additional investigation was performed by Para-Chem under an Administrative Order by Consent issued by EPA in September 27, 1991. Three additional waste disposal areas in addition to an old buried lagoon were discovered which were acting as a continual source of groundwater contamination.

Cleanup Progress:
A final cleanup plan for the site was selected in the Record of Decision (ROD) issued by EPA on September 27, 1993. The remedy for the Site consisted of on-site sludge treatment and modifications to the existing groundwater capture and treatment system. In October 1994 EPA and Para-Chem signed a Consent Decree for the design and construction of the remedy. During 1996, Para-Chem removed 18,607 tons of contaminated waste materials from the Site. Upgrades to the existing groundwater recovery system were completed in 1998.  Two additional waste disposal areas were discovered, and to address them, a 1999 ROD Amendment enlarged the remedy to include Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE) as well as expansion of the groundwater recovery system.  Additional construction and well-installation work was completed during 2000-2001.  The SVE system operated from early 2000 through mid-2001; treatment was terminated upon reaching the soil cleanup goals.  The first Five-Year Review for the site was completed in September 2005.  The most significant potential issue found in the Five-Year Review concerned the degree of effective hydraulic capture being accomplished by the groundwater recovery system.  In 2006 a Work Plan was submitted by the PRP to implement the Five-Year Review report’s recommendations.  Concurrent with receipt of the plan, Region 4 coordinated an extensive 3-D groundwater modeling effort, completed in May 2007.  Findings  indicated that the groundwater system is successfully capturing the affected plume, and also provided further insight on recommended system operational/maintenance improvements, and on the additional investigatory work recommended by the Five Year Review.  In December 2007 EPA approved the PRP’s Five-Year Review Report Recommendations Work Plan.  An Addendum capturing EPA and SCDHEC comments was then approved in May 2008, followed by field work performed in June.  In August 2008 a report was submitted presenting the findings of the soil and groundwater work.  In a November 2008 response EPA and SCDHEC directed the re-sampling of two of the new wells and clarification of some of the results.  Routine monitoring of the groundwater recovery system continues.

Next Steps:
Most of the Five Year Review items concerned O&M issues and have already been implemented.  EPA and SCDHEC are considering the 2008 fieldwork results and the most recent monitoring data (April 2009) from monitoring.  During 2009 EPA and SCDHEC will determine if the Five Year Review-recommended actions taken to date have addressed all of the issues, and whether any additional response actions are needed to improve overall remedy performance.