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
Cleanup Status
Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) entered into a Facility Lead agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on December 15, 1999 for conducting corrective action at its South Charleston Facility. 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. The RFI focused on collection of data pertinent to evaluation of the Current Human Exposures Under Control Environmental Indicator (EI) and Migration of Contaminated Groundwater Under Control EI. A Follow-up RFI was conducted in 2004 to supplement data collected under the RFI, especially those pertinent to the Current Human Exposures Under Control and Migration of Contaminated Groundwater Under Control EIs. To meet the Current Human Exposures Under Control EI, an interim measure was completed in June 2005 at Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 1 to isolate surface contamination from potential human exposure. Based on the RFI and the implementation of the interim measure at SWMU 1, the EIs were approved by EPA in September 2005.
From 2006 through 2019, 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 the nature and extent of contamination. An updated Current Conditions Report that included investigation work completed after 2009 was submitted in 2020.
Active remediation is being conducted at the facility. Ten “remediation areas” have been established across the facility and prioritized to facilitate management of remediation. The interim measures implemented at the facility since the EIs are listed below.
- In 2011, construction of an air sparge/soil vapor extraction (AS/SVE) system in the Chlorohydrin Area was completed and operation of the system began.
- In 2014, construction of an AS/SVE system in the Middle Island Area “Second Source” was completed and operation of the system began.
- In 2015, construction of an AS/SVE system in the Chlorobenzene Area 1 was completed and operation of the system began.
- In 2017, two additional remedies were constructed. In situ solidification/stabilization (ISS) was completed in the Lower Island Area to address a buried tar-like material and an aerobic co-metabolic biodegradation via co-metabolite enhanced biosparging remedy was constructed in the Chlorohydrin Area to address a portion of the groundwater plume immediately downgradient of the AS/SVE system. In addition, a vapor mitigation system was installed in a building within the Chlorohydrin Area and air purifying units were installed in a building within the Lower Middle Island Area.
- In 2018, construction of the Middle Island groundwater containment system was completed and operation of the system began. A treatment wetland is used to pre-treat the groundwater before discharging to the South Charleston wastewater treatment plant.
- In 2021, ISS was completed in the Northern Middle Island Area to address soil contamination.
- In 2022, construction of a thermal conductive heating (TCH) remediation system for soil in the Chlorobenzene Area 2 was completed and operation of the system began.
- In 2023, construction of a thermally enhanced biosparge (TEB) system in the Chlorobenzene Area 2 was completed and operation of the system began.
In July 2017, a small intermittent sheen was observed on the back channel of the Kanawha River near the Middle Island Area; the area is referred to as the Middle Island Sediment Area (MISA). Sediment investigations were completed between 2017 and 2021 to evaluate the extent of sediment contamination causing the sheen in the MISA. Based on the results of those investigations, dredging and capping were selected as the remedy for the MISA. Sediment contamination was also identified during a 2019 investigation in an area referred to as the Chlorohydrin Sediment Area. In April 2023, another intermittent sheen was observed at the facility adjacent to the Chlorobenzene Area. A sediment investigation is planned for 2024 to evaluate the source of the sheen adjacent to the Chlorobenzene Area and to investigate sediments in the Middle Mainland Area where an isolated pore water exceedance has been observed. Absorbent booms are being utilized at both the MISA and the Chlorobenzene Area to control the intermittent sheens observed on the river.
A final remedy has been approved for one area of the facility, the Building 82 Area. It consists of institutional controls implemented through environmental covenants and long-term groundwater monitoring. In 2013 WVDEP issued a Statement of Basis for the Building 82 Area, then a Final Decision after a public comment period.
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, deicers, 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 Facility is used exclusively for industrial purposes, and neither the Kanawha River nor the local groundwater is used for drinking water. The primary constituents of concern are 1,1-biphenyl, 1,4-dioxane, benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, dichloroethane, dichloropropane, naphthalene, trichloroethene, and vinyl chloride.
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.