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# NPL Site Narrative for LCP Chemicals Georgia

LCP CHEMICALS GEORGIA Brunswick, Georgia Federal Register Notice: June 17, 1996
Conditions at Proposal (October 1995) : LCP Chemicals is located on Ross Road in Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia. The site is bordered by the Turtle River marshes to the west and south and the urban populations of Br unswick to the north and east. The site is comprised of approximately 500 to 600 acres, the majority of which are not used due to the predominance of tidal marshlands. The remainin g portion of the property is occupied with process buildings, administration offices, railr oad spurs, treatment, storage and disposal units, and tank storage facilities. The State of Georgia has designated LCP Chemicals as its highest priority site.

The site was originally owned and operated by the Atlantic Refining Company (ARCO) who operated a petroleum refinery from 1919 until 1930. Portions of the site were also owned by Georgia Power Company and the Dixie O'Brien Pa int Company. In 1955, the entire property was purchased by Allied Chemical, Inc., who manufactured caustic soda, chlorine, and hydrochloric acid by the electrolysis of sodi um chloride using mercury cells. In 1979, LCP Chemicals purchased the property and continued the process practiced by Allied Chemical. From 1955 until 1968, waste sludges containing me rcury produced by Allied Chemical were sold to an off-site reclaimer. From 1968 until the facility was sold to LCP Chemicals, several hundred to several thousand tons of contam inated sludge were disposed in surface impoundments that were constructed on site along the tidal marsh.

In 1989, EPA Region 4 performed a field investigation consisting of 86 samples. Mercury was detected in all seven on-site sources, lead was detected in six sources, and PCBs were found in the majority of sources. Mercury and lead we re also detected in ground water in temporary wells near the site and in a surface water body in the vicinity of the site. In 1991 a Georgia Environmental Protection Division/Department of Natural Resources investigation revealed elevated levels of mercury and lead in sedi ment and surface water samples near the site. Mercury was also found at elevated levels in crab tissue and oyster samples in the surrounding waters. The same study revealed extr emely high levels of PCBs in sediment and crab tissue. Portions of Purvis Creek ha ve been closed to commercial fishing.

The drinking water supp ly for the area is composed of private wells and the Brunswick municipal wells. The municipal wells draw wate r from the Upper Floridan Aquifer while the private wells are drilled at a wide range of de pths. Within a 4-mile radius of the site, the municipal system serves 28,844 residents an d private wells serve approximately 5,000 residents. The nearest drinking water well is located slightly beyond 0.25 mile from the site. Runoff from the site flows off the western edge of the facility into a canal that flows 0.35 mile through an area of wetlands and enters Purvis Creek. Purvis Creek me rges with the Turtle River 0.9 mile downstream and then the Brunswick River an additional 7.5 miles downstream. The river flows approximately 5 mile s before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. 

## National Priorities List (NPL) Last u p dated on Wednesda y, November 11th

, 2009. htt p : // www.e p a. g ov /su p erfund /sites / n p l / nar1458.htm 

### Page 1 of 2 N PL Site Narrative for LCP Chemicals Georgia | National Priorities List (NPL) | US EPA

12/3/2009 http ://www.e p a. g ov/su p erfund/sites/np l/nar1458.htmWetlands bound the majority of the surface wa ter pathway, which is inhabited by numerous endangered species.

Status (June 1996) : LCP Chemicals is heavily contaminat ed with a co-mingled combination of mercury, PCBs, dioxin, lead, and numerous organic compounds. When EPA arrived at the site, oil refinery wastes laced with PCBs seep ed into the marsh at several locations. PCBcontaminated anodes had been used to fill ar eas of erosion at the marsh's edge. Pools of mercury were commonplace in the cell buildi ngs. By mid-1995, 150 tons of mercury had been recovered. To date, 25,000 tons of contam inated soil have been excavated and shipped off-site. Removal activities may cost $25-40 m illion and take several years. EPA issued a removal order to AlliedSignal, Georgia Power, and ARCO. These parties are now working with EPA to control surface water run-off, dismantle the mercury cell buildings, and ship large volumes of contaminated soil by rail off site . In addition, these parties are conducting a remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) to determine what long-term threats to the ground water and marshland may exist at this site. An RI/FS work plan is currently under review by EPA.

For more information about the hazardous substa nces identified in th is narrative summary, including general information regarding the ef fects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxi c 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. 

### Page 2 of 2 N PL Site Narrative for LCP Chemicals Georgia | National Priorities List (NPL) | US EPA

12/3/2009 http ://www.e p a. g ov/su p erfund/sites/np l/nar1458.htm