General Electric Co/Shepherd Farm

Overview

The General Electric Co/Shepherd Farm site covers 141 acres in East Flat Rock, North Carolina. It includes a manufacturing facility and a nearby community of 125 manufactured homes called Shepherd Farm. GE made luminaire systems at the plant starting in 1955 and disposed of industrial waste on-site from 1957 to 1970. That waste contaminated both soil and groundwater. The EPA added the site to its National Priorities List in December 1994.

Twenty-seven contaminants have been identified across groundwater and soil. Groundwater contains volatile organic compounds including benzene, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, chloroform, and vinyl chloride. Heavy metals such as lead, manganese, nickel, and barium are also present in groundwater. Soil contamination includes polychlorinated biphenyl products known as Aroclors 1248, 1254, and 1260, along with metals like cadmium, chromium(VI), copper, and nickel.

GE is responsible for cleanup despite selling the property in 2019 to American Industrial Partners. Cleanup work began in the early 1980s. Between 1997 and 2000, GE removed underground storage tanks and contaminated soil, extended water lines to some residences, and built a pump-and-treat system that still runs today. Contaminated soil at the Shepherd Farm area was excavated and disposed of at the GE facility. Soil at the GE facility was capped with a multi-layer barrier and revegetated. A partial deletion for Operable Unit 1 was achieved in November 1996. Long-term response action has been in place since July 2007.

The EPA completed its Fifth Five-Year Review in September 2024. It concluded the remedy is protective because no completed exposure pathways to contamination exist. Residents at Shepherd Farm are located upgradient of contaminated groundwater and do not use private wells in the affected area. Some residences receive bottled water from the responsible party, and others connect to the public water supply. Testing confirmed that vapor intrusion from groundwater does not threaten residents or workers. In 2021, the EPA issued an Explanation of Significant Differences adding institutional controls, including deed restrictions that limit land use and prevent new groundwater wells. The EPA is working with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the responsible party to put those deed restrictions in place. Groundwater treatment and maintenance continue.

Community members can stay involved through public notices, public meetings, and interviews that the EPA conducts regularly. Site records are available at the Henderson County Public Library in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Questions can be directed to the Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager assigned to the site.