United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region IV
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

As part of the Region 4 Virginia-Carolina Chemical Company (VCC) Initiative with Exxon Mobil Corporation, an inventory of 40 former VCC facilities were identified which may have been contaminated with heavy metals from historic operations at a former phosphate fertilizer plant. The properties were targeted for future assessment and cleanup where warranted. The VCC Columbus Site(the Site) was one of the 40 areas targeted. The Site is located in Columbus, Muscogee County, Georgia within a mix use residential and commercial area. The Site is comprised of 22.5 acres, most of which have been redeveloped into approximately 32 parcels of mixed use residential and commercial properties.  

The Site was screened and sampled to identify conditions which would trigger a removal action by the EPA in order to remove or minimize any potential threats to human health or the environment. There was no visible evidence of the former structures utilized to process the phosphate fertilizer product. The Removal Site Evaluation (RSE) included the review of historic documentation and the completion of a soil sampling event with XRF screening and confirmatory lab analysis. The RSE disclosed that there is significant surficial lead and arsenic contamination throughout the sampled areas of the residential properties. Small children and elderly persons reside at several of the homes where lead and arsenic were detected in the surface soils.

On May 30, 2006, EPA's Emergency Response and Removal Branch (ERRB) sampled the Site to determine the full extent of contamination in the area. One industrial property, 6 residential properties, an elementary school playground, and a right away were sampled.  Analytical results from the sampling event revealed the presence of elevated levels of lead and arsenic in residential surface soils at the Site.  The arsenic and lead contamination was detected in the soils as high as 1,400 mg/kg and 13,000 mg/kg, respectively. Based on the high levels of lead and arsenic in surface soils and the potential threat posed by these contaminants to public health or the environment, the Site was recommended for a time-critical removal to remove the arsenic-and-lead-contaminated soils.

Activities conducted during this report period included the completion of backfill and restoration and return of residents at 1511 A and 1511 B Murray Street, and completion of excavation of contaminated soils at 1515 Murray Street. In accordance with the Site Workplan, soils were excavated to an average depth of 18 inches below ground surface. To date, an estimated 800 cubic yards of contaminated soils have been removed and transferred to roll-off containers in preparation for offsite disposal.

Excavation, backfill, disposal and Site restoration activities are expected to be completed during the next report period.

Residents located at homes immediately scheduled for soil removal are being relocated to hotels until completion of removal activities at their respective properties.