The LP site operated as a specialty chemical manufacturer for more than 40 years, from 1966 to 2009.  The product lines included dyes, farm chemicals, drilling fluid chemicals, herbicides, pesticides, and general specialty chemicals.  The property has been abandoned since December of 2010, with power off to most or all of the property.

The property includes 125 acres of land surrounded by agricultural, rural residential, and undeveloped property.  The closest crossroad is Keans Neck Road, located to the northeast.  Currently the site includes a portion of the chemical processing structures, a storage/warehouse, a lab testing area, offices and the waste water treatment facility.  Part of the processing facility has been demolished but the rubble remains onsite. 

The site was initially owned by Tenneco Chemicals, Inc. The Tenneco Chemicals Berkshire Color Division constructed the plant for the production of dyestuff intermediates in 1967.   
 

While operating under Tenneco the facility used Monsanto Corporation’s Aroclor 1248 PCB product as a heat transfer oil.  The hot oil system in which Aroclor 1248 was used malfunctioned at times.  Untreated liquids from an on-site lagoon were discharged directly into an adjacent stream, Whale Branch, which flows into Campbell Creek, and ultimately the Atlantic Ocean.   In 1983 SC DHEC conducted an in-stream assessment of Campbell Creek and Whale Branch.  A follow up SC DHEC study in December 1984 revealed the presence of PCBs in the immediate vicinity of the Lobeco plant effluent discharge point.  As a result of this finding the facility conducted groundwater testing and produced a groundwater monitoring report which revealed the presence of PCBs at the Lobeco Plant. 

Based on this information Tenneco Products commissioned further tests in order to characterize the extent and location of the PCBs at the Lobeco Plant.  Initial soil borings indicated the presence of PCBs in the abandoned lagoon.  In 1986 G & E Engineering, hired by SC DHEC, issued a preliminary investigation report pinpointing the location of the PCB contamination at the lagoon and burn site areas. In 1987, under the first of three SC DHEC consent orders, cleanup of the PCBs commenced and was concluded by November 1991. A subsequent well survey of residential wells was performed and found no PCB contamination of groundwater existed in the neighboring wells. 

From 2005 to 2009 the facility was owned by ARR-MAZ Custom Chemicals Inc, (ARR-MAZ) known for pesticides and agricultural chemicals. The facility was shut down and sold at auction to Coastal Demolition in 2010. Upon taking ownership, Coastal Demolition began removing all scrap and recoverable materials. In 2010, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) issued an order to cease activity based on improper National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) discharges among other violations, including an unlicensed asbestos removal from the reactor building. Coastal Demolition made an attempt to correct the situation, but eventually abandoned the property. The site has been abandoned since 2010 with no power and no maintenance of the systems performed. Most of the plumbing and electrical systems have been scrapped and there are signs of trespass and vandalism at the site.

Based on a DHEC request for assistance, EPA's Emergency Response and Removal Branch (ERRB) conducted an initial site walkthrough in November 2011 to determine potential sampling locations.  During the Site visit, approximately 9 - 250 gallon totes of suspected acid and several drums were found scattered throughout the Site.  In addition, several above ground storage tanks labeled sulfuric acid and a debris pile containing suspected asbestos materials were observed.

Plans for sampling of the containers, the debris pile and an on-site waste treatment plant were discussed with DHEC.  A subsequent sampling plan was prepared by EPA's START contractor for review by ERRB and DHEC.

EPA's Site Investigation Section and DHEC also planned to conduct sampling of potentially contaminated soils, sediment and surface water, focusing on longer-term contamination issues. 

During the week of January 10, 2012, DHEC conducted its site investigation sampling event, focusing on the former lagoons, settling ponds, and the NPDES outfall into Whale Branch. Several soil samples from areas of interest were also collected.

On January 17, 2012, OSCs Stilman and Berry, arrived at the Site with EPA's START contractor to conduct a sampling assessment of containers at the facility.  During that assessment, tanks, drums and other containers of hazardous substances in poor condition were found on-site.  Conditions at the Site were appreciably worse than in November 2011.  Due to the presence of these containers, the EPA OSC activated EPA's clean-up contractor to stabilize the conditions on-site and prevent a release.  From January 18 until January 20, 2012, crews collected all portable containers from around the site, transferring material to secure containers where needed.  START opened and sampled each container and then performed field hazard characterization tests on those samples.  Additionally, ERRS used a boom lift to reach access ports on the tops of the ASTs around the site.  Some of the ASTs were found to contain several thousand gallons of unknown liquids.  These were also sampled (where possible) and field tested. 

START also completed sample collection of the debris pile for asbestos, the concrete impoundments and large ASTs at the wastewater treatment plant.  Samples of the water within each impoundment and any sediment found therein were collected and submitted to an analytical laboratory for analysis.

All sample results from the debris pile, waste water treatment system, lagoons, and impoundments showed no analytes of concern above any human-health benchmarks which would require a response action. Containerized waste, however, showed several different waste streams that were determined to be hazardous to human health or the environment. These are discussed in Section 2.1.