Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Advansix Resins & Chemicals - Chesterfield (Formerly: Honeywell Resins and Chemicals LLC) in Chester, Virginia

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The Honeywell Chesterfield plant joined the EPA Region 3 Facility Lead Program in January 2000 to conduct Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action activities. As required by the program, Honeywell Chesterfield is conducting a facility investigation to determine if any areas of the site have released hazardous constituents to the environment, evaluating EPA's Environmental Indicator (EI) forms, conducting effective public involvement, and, if necessary, performing interim measures to prevent or mitigate unacceptable threats to human health and the environment.

    Cleanup Status

    To fully characterize the site, Honeywell proposed a phased approach to the field investigation. The facility submitted a workplan to EPA for the first phase, which included installing test pits and temporary groundwater monitoring points, and sampling soil and groundwater near areas where solid or hazardous waste was stored in the past. Analytical results from the first phase of the RCRA Corrective Action field investigation indicates that groundwater has been impacted near specific solid waste management units due to past waste management practices. To further evaluate the nature and extent of the contamination, additional field work, including the installation of groundwater monitoring wells and the collection of samples from groundwater and soil, are being conducted. Additional samples, including samples for an ecological risk assessment, are also being collected.

    The Interim Measure (IM) Workplan proposed includes a barrier wall, impermeable cap, and dewatering system. The IM will contain the source material released from SWMU 4 and once completed allow groundwater to attenuate more quickly. The IM was approved by EPA February 6, 2015 and is scheduled for completion within 15 months.

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      Site Description

      Interactive Map of Advansix Resins & Chemicals, Chester, VA

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      The Honeywell Chesterfield Plant (previously known at various times as the Allied Fibers and Plastics Company, Allied Chemical Corporation, and Allied Fibers Company) is located on Bermuda Hundred Road, approximately 1.5 miles north of Hopewell, Virginia in Chesterfield County. The facility is situated on about 552 acres of land on the western bank of the James River, just north of the confluence of the James and Appomattox Rivers.

      Honeywell Chesterfield currently produces polymer fibers and resins (Nylon 6) through the polymerization of the raw material caprolactam for use in consumer products. No product line other than nylon fiber has historically been manufactured at the facility. Before Honeywell purchased the property in 1954, the land was used for agricultural purposes.

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      Contaminants at this Facility

      Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) have been identified in ground water monitoring wells near past waste management areas at the site. Specific chemicals found in the groundwater include: 1,1,1-trichlorethane, 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, trichloroethylene, 1,1-dichloroethane, and tetrachloroethylene.

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      Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility

      Institutional controls, if required, will be determined at the time of remedy selection.

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      Land Reuse Information at this Facility

      The facility maintains its current use and there has been no reuse of the facility property to date.

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      Site Responsiblity at this Facility

      RCRA Corrective Action activities at this facility are being conducted under the direction of the EPA Region 3 with assistance from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

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