Case Study: Potter’s Septic Tank Service Pits, North Carolina
From GeoClasses
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Potter's Septic Tank Service Pits, North Carolina
by: Jeremy Rockette
- In Brunswick County, Sandy Creek, NC, there was a problem with Potter’s Septic Tank Service Pit site polluting the groundwater and soil. In 1976, the US Coastal Guard was notified of an oil spill in Rattlesnake Branch Creek. The North Carolina Department of Natural and Economic Resources and the Coastal Guard traced the oil spill to one of four deposit pits. The spill was traced back to Potter’s Septic Tank service pit.
- The oil had spilled from one pit into Rattlesnake Ranch and surrounding wetland. In 1983, trace metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected in oil sites, groundwater, soil, and sludge. The VOCs included benzene, xylene, phenols, and petroleum compounds. The Coastal Guard and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Economic Resources removed 40,000 gallons of oil and 150 truckloads of oil sludge. The following year, 1,400 metric tons of contaminated soils were removed from the site.
- Prior to the soil being moved, well water as well as direct contact with the soil was a health risk. Children who played in the area were especially at risk. Rattlesnake Branch Creek empties into Hood Creek. Hood Creek is home to much life including shrimp, blue crab, and fish (alewife, flounder, striped bass, and white perch).
- In 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed an investigation and devised a cleanup plan. The plan included extracting groundwater, air stripping to remove VOCs, and on-site contaminated soil treatment. The cleanup began and 1994 and is now finished. In 2000, the amount of pollutants had decreased. The site is now being monitored. In 2007, the EPA had the state of North Carolina conduct a five year review to verify if the cleanup was effective.
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