OSWER/OSRTI Washington, DC 20460



## N ATIONAL 

## P RIORITIES 

## L IST 

## (NPL)

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may cha nge as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination.]

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regar ding the effects of exposure to these

subst ances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet

at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1

- 888

- 42

- ATSDR or 1

- 888

- 422

- 8737. ***Proposed Site*** March 20 11


### CTS OF ASHEVILLE , INC. Asheville, N orth C arolina Buncombe County

 **Site Location :**  The CTS of Asheville, Inc. site is located at 235 Mills Gap Road in Asheville, North Carolina. The property was onc e part
of a 66.4

- acre tract that was subsequently portioned off during numerous ownership changes . The plant is a large, one

- story brick building located at the northeast corner of the property, fronting Mills Gap Road

.

 **Site History:**

The CTS of Ashevil le, Inc. site was operated as an electronic components manufacturing facility and electroplating facility from 1952 until 1985. The facility is vacant and is surrounded by fencing. Trichloroethene (TCE) was used in processes at the facility and was relea sed through drains in the building.

 **Site Contamination/Contaminants:**
There is subsurface soil contamination below the building footprint and extending to the south, which is serving as a continued source of ground water contamination in the area. The h ighest TCE concentration in soils (830,000 parts per billion) was found at a depth of 32

- 34 feet beneath the building. TCE contamination in ground water has not been fully characterized, and is migrating from the site in an uncontrolled plume in fractured bedrock.

 **Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment :**  More than 105 private drinking water wells are at risk within a mile of the site. EPA has identified seven private drinking water supplies (one spring

- fed and six wells) contaminated wit h TCE, and has provided alternative drinking water to these

residents.

 **Response Activities (to date):**
In 2004, EPA entered into an administrative order on consent (AOC) with two potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to perform a time

- critical removal action at the site. In response to the AOC, the PRPs constructed a soil vapor extraction (SVE) system which utilized a series of extraction wells and vacuum to extract volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from soils beneath the building. The system was com pleted in 2006, and is estimated to have removed more than 6,000 pounds of solvent. EPA continues to monitor 105 private drinking water wells quarterly.

 **Need for NPL Listing:**

The S tate of North Carolina r eferred th e site to EPA because of the contami nation detected below the building and because of the ground water contamination which PRPs are not addressing. Other federal and state cleanup programs were

evaluated , but are not viable at this time . EPA received a letter from the state supporting list ing of the site on the NPL.