The Columbia Organic Chemical Company (COCC) site is located at 912 Drake Street in Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina. The site is a three acre property surrounded by a mixture of residential and commercial properties. The site is bounded to the northwest by Drake Street, to the southwest by Bruce Street, to the east by residential properties along True Street, and to the north by the former M.B. Kahn Construction Company property. Several multi-unit residences and one single dwelling home are located within 50 yards of the site across Drake Street.
COCC owned and operated a specialty chemical facility from the 1944 until 1984 at which time the operation was relocated to the Cassatt community in Kershaw County, South Carolina. A wide variety of chemicals were produced at the facility, including insecticide formulations, industrial cleaners, and small quantities of specialty chemicals for use in research. Several hundred chemicals were manufactured at the plant. The primary product lines included bromine, iodine substituted aliphatics, mercaptans, alkyl phosphonates, nitriles, and dimethyl sulfide.
The orginal plant was destroyed by fire in 1958. The plant was subsequently rebuilt on its original location; however, over the years several other fires damaged various parts of the facility. During the course of the facility’s operation, Records suggest that soils on the site were contaminated by waste materials which were spilled, dumped, or buried on-site. Records suggest that during the 1970’s COCC installed a chemical holding tank, or sump, to collect liquid wastes. Records suggest that much of the waste collected in the tank eventually leaked out.
The site has been brought back up to grade from the excavation depth using clean off site fill and riprap. Then the excavated areas were re-graded to improve drainage and prevent storm water runoff traveling offsite. The excavated areas were then seeded to prevent soil erosion.
A total of 1,436.40 tons of soil was removed and disposed of. The final truckload of soil was transported from the site on May 13, 2008.
All site work has been completed.
The site was referred to the EPA remedial branch. One August 18, 2008, it was determined that no further actions will be taken by EPA
The site has been referred back to SCDHEC
The final removal report will be posted to this website within the next few fews.
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