Case Study: Independent Nail Company, South Carolina

From GeoClasses

Independent Nail Co., South Carolina

by: Lauren Thompson

The Independent Nail Company is located in Beaufort County, South Carolina and manufactured screws and fasteners from 1969 to 1980. This area is rural with light industry and several residences are located near the site. Fields, woodlands, and wetlands make up the land at the site. Also, groundwater is an important source of water supply at the site and is used for private, municipal, and commercial purposes. The plant uses a lagoon that is inactive and surrounded by a fence as a means for disposing of waste. The plant disposed into the lagoon wastewater containing cyanide, chromium, and other waste generated during the manufacturing process. The amount of waste disposed per day into the lagoon was 33,000 gallons. This shows that the source of the pollutant is the waste being disposed into the lagoon from the Independent Nail Company.

A study was done in 1975 by SCDHEC which indicated contamination in the soils and groundwater with chromium, lead, iron, and mercury. A single short term incident was recorded in May of 1975 that a break had occurred in the side of the lagoon allowing wastewater to enter into a drainage ditch nearby. A sample from this ditch showed cadmium and chromium contamination. Beginning in August of 1975, more tests were conducted on several groundwater sites near the lagoon. The results of these tests showed that the quality of the groundwater was being affected by the wastes discharged into the lagoon. Chromium, lead, iron, and mercury were in found in excess of drinking water standards in some of the water samples. Metals such as lead, chromium, cadmium, nickel, and zinc were of main concern at the site. Soil contamination was primarily found in the lagoon in areas inside the fence which surrounds the lagoon and at two areas outside of the fence.

All of the metals listed as a main concern at the site can be harmful to the plant life, animals, atmosphere, and people around the site. Studies suggested that direct contact with contaminated soils would not appear to pose a human health risk, but inhalation exposure to maximum contaminant concentrations could pose a great lifetime cancer risk.

Cleanup objectives were finally determined. They were to protect the public health and environment from exposure to contaminated soils through inhalation, direct contact, and erosion of soils; to prevent the spread of contaminants to other soils; and to reduce or prevent contamination of ground water. The process used to clean up the contaminated soil was on-site soil solidification. This was conducted in April and May of 1988; the soil was excavated, solidified, and returned to the lagoon area. A decision was made on August 30, 1988 to not treat the contaminated groundwater because the contaminant levels posted no imminent or substantial threat to human health or the environment. After five years another testing was completed at the site and the results showed that the cleanup methods had worked effectively, and the Independent Nail site was deleted from the National Priorities List on April 3, 1995.

References

EPA Superfund Record of Decision. 28 Nov. [1]

South Carolina NPL/NPL Caliber Cleanup Site Summaries. 28 Nov. [2]