REMOVAL ACTION UNDERWAY AT LCP-HOLTRACHEM
Honeywell International, Inc., (Honeywell) has voluntarily entered into an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) with EPA and is performing a removal action at the LCP-Holtrachem Superfund Site (Holtrachem). The site is a former chlor-alkali manufacturing facility that produced chlorine, sodium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite, and hydrochloric acid using the mercury cell process. The Holtrachem facility is located in an industrial zone at 636 John L. Riegel Road in Riegelwood, North Carolina. The 26-acre facility is wedged between the Cape Fear River and an International Paper Company facility. The site consists of a mercury cell building, retort pad, various process areas, a capped disposal area, two closed surface impoundments, a former on-site pond (Roberts Pond), two rainwater ponds (North and South), as well as additional buildings and components. The facility began operations in 1963 and ceased operations in October 2000.
The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) conducted an evaluation of contamination at the facility in June 2001 and referred the facility the U.S. EPA Emergency Response and Removal Branch (ERRB) for removal consideration in January 2002. EPA ERRB conducted a removal site evaluation between January and April 2002, including collection of soil and groundwater samples as well as air monitoring for mercury vapor. Results confirmed the presence of mercury on site at levels of concern. Loose elemental mercury was also observed in and around the mercury cell building and retort pad. As a result, EPA ERRB determined that a time-critical removal action was warranted to address threats posed by the site.
Under EPA oversight, Honeywell initiated on-site cleanup actions in January 2003. Activities associated with the time-critical removal action are currently scheduled through September 2003.
Planned Activities
The following removal actions have been planned for this site:
∙ Removal and disposal of the cell building and other contaminated portions of the physical plant;
∙ Treatment and disposal of wastewater and other plant process liquids;
∙ Collection, treatment, and or disposal of all on-site contaminated water and sludge resulting from decontamination operations;
∙ Decontamination of all vehicles/equipment used in removal activities;
∙ Dust suppression to ensure than no contaminated media/dust particles migrate from the site; and
∙ Securing contaminated areas on a 24-hour basis to prevent access by unauthorized persons.
