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Narrative for LCP Chemicals Georgia 

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 Brunswick 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 remaining portion of the property is occupied with 

process buildings, administration offices, railroad 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 Paint Company. In 1955, the entire property 

was purchased by Allied Chemical, Inc., who manufactured caustic soda, chlorine, and 

hydrochloric acid by the electrolysis of sodium 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 mercury 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 contaminated 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 were 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 sediment 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 extremely high levels of PCBs in sediment and 

crab tissue. Portions of Purvis Creek have been closed to commercial fishing. 

The drinking water supply for the area is composed of private wells and the Brunswick 

municipal wells. The municipal wells draw water from the Upper Floridan Aquifer while the 

private wells are drilled at a wide range of depths. Within a 4-mile radius of the site, the 

municipal system serves 28,844 residents and 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 merges with the Turtle 

River 0.9 mile downstream and then the Brunswick River an additional 7.5 miles 

downstream. The river flows approximately 5 miles before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. 

National Priorities List (NPL)

Last updated on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009.

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Wetlands bound the majority of the surface water pathway, which is inhabited by numerous 

endangered species. 

Status (June 1996): LCP Chemicals is heavily contaminated 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 seeped into the marsh at several locations. PCBcontaminated anodes had been used to fill areas of erosion at the marsh's edge. Pools of 

mercury were commonplace in the cell buildings. By mid-1995, 150 tons of mercury had 

been recovered. To date, 25,000 tons of contaminated soil have been excavated and shipped 

off-site. Removal activities may cost $25-40 million 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 substances identified in this narrative summary, 

including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances 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. 

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