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Three Sites in Southeast Proposed for Inclusion on EPA's Superfund List

Release Date: 09/23/2004
Contact Information: Laura Niles, (404) 562-8353, [email protected]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed the addition of three sites in the Southeast to the Superfund National Priority List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites.  The Southeastern sites included are the Brewer Gold Mine, Jefferson, South Carolina; Smalley-Piper, Collierville, Tennessee; and Sigmon’s Septic Tank Service, Statesville, North Carolina.   Nationally, fourteen sites were proposed and 2 sites were finalized for inclusion on the NPL.  The NPL identifies abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites that warrant remedial (long-term) action. The Brewer Gold Mine is an abandoned mine located on the western border of Chesterfield County, about 1.5 miles due west of the town of Jefferson, South Carolina. In 1990, a failure of an overflow pond at the mine resulted in a release of a sodium-cyanide solution containing cyanide, copper, and mercury.  Metals, including copper and mercury, have been detected in ground water underlying the former mining activities. Smalley-Piper is an active facility located in Collierville, Shelby County, Tennessee. Facility activities have resulted in metals contamination of soils (chromium, copper, and lead), ground water, and surface water runoff.  Ground water contamination from facility operations has affected the Memphis aquifer, the sole source of drinking water in the area. Contaminated surface runoff from Smalley-Piper sources also poses a threat to the Nonconnah Creek, which is used for recreational fishing. Sigmon's Septic Tank Service is an active facility located in Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina. Facility activities have resulted in releases of dichlorobenzene, mercury, manganese, and nickel to ground water and arsenic to surface waters downgradient of the facility.  Arsenic has been detected at levels significantly greater than background in an unnamed tributary to the Catawba River, which is heavily fished and is partially bordered by wetlands. EPA identifies and ranks NPL sites according to threats to nearby populations through actual or potential contamination of groundwater, surface water or air.  The sites are eligible for cleanup funded under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA). EPA’s goals for the Superfund program are to: address the worst sites and the worst problems first; make sites safe by immediately controlling acute threats to people and the environment; and develop and use new technologies for more effective cleanups.  Detailed information regarding the site may be obtained by contacting the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or accessed through the Superfund home page under the Site Information Section at https://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl.