EPA v. PARA-CHEM SOUTHERN, INC.

Case summary

SEE ALSO PREVIOUS MATTER NUMBER 04-93-0393. THE PARA-CHEM SOUTHERN, INC., SITE (THE SITE) IS LOCATED ON A 100 ACREPARCEL OF LAND ON STATE HIGHWAY 14 IN SIMPSONVILLE, GREENVILLE COUNTY,SOUTH CAROLINA. THE SITE INCLUDES THE PARA-CHEM SOUTHERN, INC.(PARA-CHEM), FACILITY, WHICH IS AN ACTIVE LATEX, ACRYLIC COMPOUNDS, ANDADHESIVES MANUFACTURING PLANT. RD/RA NEGOTIATIONS THE PARA-CHEM FACILITY MANUFACTURES ACRYLIC POLYMERS, THICKENERS, LATEXCOATINGS, AND ADHESIVES FOR A VARIETY OF CONSUMER AND INDUSTRIALAPPLICATIONS. PARA-CHEM'S SIMPSONVILLE FACILITY IS A CHEMICALCOMPOUNDING BATCH PLANT. THE PLANT HAS BEEN IN OPERATION SINCE 1965 ANDCURRENTLY EMPLOYS APPROIMATELY 150 PEOPLE. SITE HISTORY BETWEEN 1975 AND 1979, PORTIONS OF THE AREA SURROUNDING PARA-CHEM'SMANUFACTURING PLANT WERE USED AS DISPOSAL AREAS FOR PROCESS WASTES.THESE AREAS INCLUDED TWO (2) WASTEWATER LAGOONS, A SERIES OF CONCRETESETTLING TANKS, FOUR (4) BURIAL TRENCHES, AND SEVERAL SLUDGE DISPOSALAREAS. THE TWO (2) LAGOONS WERE USED TO COLLECT WASTEWATER FROM THEFACILITY OPERATIONS. SOME OF THE SLUDGE FROM THE WASTEWATER WASPERIODICALLY REMOVED FROM ONE OF THESE LAGOONS AND PLACED DIRECTLY ONTOTHE GROUND. THE BURIAL TRENCHES WERE USED TO DISPOSE OF DRUMS AND OTHERWASTE MATERIALS. ON MARCH 16, 1981, A PLANT FIRE RESULTED IN A SPILL OF5,000 GALLONS OF LATEX MATERIAL, FOAM, AND WATER INTO A DRAINAGECHANNEL. AS A RESULT OF THE SPILL INTO THE DRAINAGE CHANNEL, AS WELL ASEFFLUENT FROM THE LAGOON, WAS DISCHARGED INTO A TRIBUTARY OF BIG DURBINCREEK. TWO (2) SEPERATE SPILLS OF ETHYL ACRYLATE, TOTALING 3,515 GALLONS,OCCURED ON JANUARY 28, 1985, AND OCTOBER 2, 1985, DURING PLANTOPERATIONS AT A TANK FARM WEST OF THE PLANT PRODUCTION AREA. RELEASES OF HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES ON FEBRUARY 27, 1985, PARA-CHEM FIRST NOTIFIED THE UNITED STATESENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENTOF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL (SCDHEC) THAT FROM 1975 TO 1979, ITHAD DISPOSED MANUFACTURING WASTES ONTO ITS PROPERTY. SCDHEC ANDPARA-CHEM SIGNED A CONSENT ORDER ON FEBRUARY 25, 1986, DOCKET NUMBER86-17-W, SW, (SC ORDER) UNDER WHICH PARA-CHEM AGREED TO SUBMIT A PLANAND PROPOSED SCHEDULE FOR THE REMOVAL AND DISPOSAL OF BURIED DRUMS ANDTHEIR CONTENTS FROM THE FOUR (4) BURIAL SITES. PURSUANT TO THE SC ORDER WITH SCDHEC, DOCKET NUMBER 86-17-W, SW,PARA-CHEM REMOVED A TOTAL OF 2921 TONS OF DRUMS, WASTE MATERIALS, SOILAND DEBRIS IN 1987. IN ADDITION, PARA-CHEM INSTALLED THREE (3)GROUNDWATER SAMPLING AND RECOVERY WELLS. PARA-CHEM EVENTUALLY INSTALLED AN ADDITIONAL FOURTEEN (14) RECOVERYWELLS TO THE GROUNDWATER SAMPLING AND RECOVERY WELL SYSTEM. CURRENTLY,THE RECOVERED GROUNDWATER IS BEING SENT TO A WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEMLOCATED ON THE PARA-CHEM PROPERTY AND IS THEN DISCHARGED TO THE WESTERNCAROLINA REGIONAL SEWER SYSTEM (WCRSS) AFTER TREATMENT AT A PACKED TOWERAIR STRIPPER. IN ADDITION, PARA-CHEM IS ALSO AUTHORIZED TO DISCHARGENON-CONTACT PROCESS WASTER UNDER AN NPDES PERMIT TO A SITE ORIGINATINGON THE PARA-CHEM PROPERTY. BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF THE WASTE COLLECTED PURSUANT TO THE REMOVAL SCORDER BETWEEN SCDHEC AND PARA-CHEM, DOCKET NUMBER 86-17-W, SW, EPARANKED THE SITE AND INCLUDED IT ON THE NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST PROPOSEDUPDATE IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER, VOL. 54, NO. 43778, OM OCTOBER 26, 1989.THE SITE WAS ADDED TO THE NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST, PURSUANT TO SECTION105 OF CERCLA, 42 U.S.C. S9605. ON AUGUST 30, 1990, WITH A HAZARD RATINGSCORE OF 32.94.

Defendants (1)

• PARA-CHEM SOUTHERN, INC.Named in complaintNamed in settlement

Facilities (2)

• PARA CHEM SOUTHERN INCORPORATED

  863 SOUTH MAIN STREET, SIMPSONVILLE, SC, 29681

  Registry ID: 110015824278

• PARA CHEM SOUTHERN INCORPORATED

  863 SOUTH MAIN STREET, SIMPSONVILLE, SC, 29681

  Registry ID: 110015824278

Statutes cited

• CERCLA 107A — Cost Recovery

Enforcement conclusions (1)

• PARA-CHEM SOUTHERN, INC.entered 1994-10-07

  Primary law: CERCLA

Timeline (7 milestones)

• 1993-07-14PRN Sent
• 1993-07-20Enforcement Action Data Entered
• 1994-06-01Referred To Dept Of Justice
• 1994-10-07Final Order Lodged
• 1994-10-07Final Order Entered
• 1994-10-07Complaint Filed With Court
• 1994-10-07Concluded