Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Union Carbide Corporation - South Charleston Plant in South Charleston, West Virginia
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Site Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Land Reuse
- Site Responsibility
Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) entered into a Facility Lead agreement with EPA on December 15, 1999 for conducting corrective action at its South Charleston Facility.
Cleanup Status
UCC has evaluated, addressed via Interim Measures, and provided documentation to EPA for areas of known potential for off-site impacts. The initial Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facility Investigation (RFI) was conducted in 2002 and 2003. The RFI Report was submitted to EPA and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) in December 2003.
From 2006 through 2009 RFI work focused on a sitewide approach to fill remaining data gaps for soil, groundwater, and the Kanawha River. The facility Current Conditions Report was submitted to EPA in 2010 documenting the completion of facility investigation work for the purpose of defining nature and extent.
Facility risk assessment activities were completed in 2011 with vapor intrusion sampling at a final building. In 2012, follow-up monitoring was performed at one building to evaluate trends following startup of the adjacent Chlorohydrin Area remediation system.
Active remediation is being conducted at the facility. Ten "remediation areas" have been established across the facility and prioritized to facilitate management of remediation through the planned Corrective Action time-frame of 2017. In 2011, construction and startup of the first full-scale remedy, an air sparge/soil vapor extraction system began in the Chlorohydrin remediation Area (former Building 42 area).
In the Building 82 Area, a remedy was selected in 2011, documented in 2012, and was implemented in 2013. The final remedy has been approved for Building 82 consisting of institutional controls (ICs) and long-term groundwater monitoring (LTM). In 2013 WVDEP issued a Statement of Basis, then a Final Decision after a public comment period for Building 82. UCC is currently working with the current property owners to finalize Environmental Covenants.
In the Middle Island Area, a remedy (AS/SVE) for the “second source” portion was selected in late 2011 and design was completed in 2013. Field implementation of AS/SVE system took place at the Middle Island Remediation Area “Second Source” and also the Chlorobenzene Remediation Area. Both of these systems came on-line in 2014 - 2015. In addition, remedy selection occurred in 2014 for the Middle Island main plume. The Middle Island remedy consists of containment of groundwater contamination through extraction. Groundwater modeling was used extensively in the design. Treatment of extracted groundwater will take place in holding tanks simulating wetlands. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2016.
A remedy of ICs and LTM has been proposed for the Middle Mainland Remediation Area. The documentation of this remedy was submitted to USEPA in 2013, and approval is pending. Quarterly monitoring continues into early 2016 to confirm natural attenuation as a final remedy.
Studies continue at the Lower Island and remedies under consideration include stabilization, solidification, and capping.
In 2016, final remedy selection for three areas of the facility is expected: the Upper Mainland Remediation Area, the Lower Island Remediation Area, and the Middle Island Remediation Area. Documentation of these remedies will be prepared and submitted to USEPA for approval.
Site Description
Interactive Map of Union Carbide Corporation – South Charleston Plant, South Charleston, West Virginia
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UCC's South Charleston Facility is located adjacent to the Kanawha River in South Charleston, West Virginia. The site is approximately 200 acres, and consists of the Mainland and Blaine Island. The facility has been in continuous operation since the early 1920s. Currently, most of the plants produce specialty chemicals, such as surfactants, de-icers, and lubricating fluids
Portions of the Mainland have transferred to new ownership and UCC has leased the majority of Blaine Island for industrial operations
Contaminants at this Facility
Based on current information, there are no known imminent threats to human health or the environment from the UCC South Charleston Facility. The primary constituents of concern are benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, dichloropropane, trichloroethene and vinyl chloride. The original list of primary constituents has been refined to focus on those constituents that require remediation relative to the sites Remedial Action Objectives of preventing unacceptable groundwater discharges to the Kanawha River and mitigating unacceptable human health risks due to vapor intrusion direct contact.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
| Restrictions or Controls that Address: | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
|
Groundwater Use
|
X
|
|
|
Residential Use
|
X
|
|
|
Excavation
|
X
|
|
|
Vapor Intrusion
|
X
|
|
|
Capped Area(s)
|
|
X
|
|
Other Engineering Controls
|
|
X
|
|
Other Restrictions
|
|
X
|
Institutional Controls on Former Building #82 (Tracks #1,2,3,6,7 ) are enforced via an Environmental Covenant and consist of :
- Groundwater shall not be used for any purpose except monitoring/remediationr (Tracks #1,2,3,6,7)
- No residential use including condos, hotels, dormitories (Tracks #3,6) also enforced with WV Reg Code 22.12B-I
- No excavation unless there is a threat to human life (Tracks # 3,6)
- All occupried structures shall have a vapor controlled system whose design approved by a WV PE ( Tracks #1,2,3)
Land Reuse Information at this Facility
The facility maintains its current use.
Site Responsibility at this Facility
RCRA Corrective Action activities at this facility have been conducted under the direction of EPA Region 3 with assistance from the WVDEP.