Chemtronics, Inc.

Overview

The Chemtronics, Inc. site covers 535 acres in Swannanoa, North Carolina. It was added to EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. The site was used to manufacture explosives, propellants, and specialty chemicals from the mid-twentieth century until 1994. Past waste disposal practices left contaminated soil and groundwater across 23 identified disposal areas and multiple solid waste management units.

EPA identified more than 140 contaminants of concern in soil and groundwater. These include volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, and trichloroethene, heavy metals like lead, chromium, copper, and arsenic, explosives-related compounds including TNT, RDX, and PETN, pesticides such as DDT, dieldrin, and lindane, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and various chlorinated solvents.

Potentially responsible parties have carried out significant cleanup work since the 1990s. They capped and fenced contaminated soil in six disposal areas and installed groundwater extraction and treatment systems. Over 122 million gallons of contaminated groundwater were treated before those systems shut down in September 2014. A 2016 Record of Decision Amendment updated the cleanup approach to include excavating contaminated soil at two buildings for off-site disposal, enhanced in-situ bioremediation, long-term monitoring, and institutional controls. Those controls limit the property to commercial or industrial use and prohibit using on-site groundwater for drinking water. Construction was completed in March 1993, and the site reached sitewide ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in June 2024. Ongoing long-term response action has been in place since March 2008. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL.

Current conditions show the remedy protects human health and the environment in the short term. Capped and fenced soil limits direct contact. There is no current exposure to contaminated groundwater. Monitoring at perimeter wells has detected contaminants at or below state drinking water standards, and sampling of nearby private wells has not found site-related contamination. Two sources differ on one point: one states that human exposure is currently under control, while another notes that data on groundwater migration remains insufficient to determine whether contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized. Routine monitoring of groundwater, surface water, and sediment continues. The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has conserved land at the property to protect mountain scenery, water resources, and wildlife habitat.

Community members can stay involved through EPA's community involvement activities, which include public notices, public meetings, and interviews. Site records are available for public review at Warren Wilson College Library, located at 701 Warren Wilson Road in Swannanoa. The next five-year review is estimated between August and October 2027. For questions, contact Community Involvement Coordinator Brenda Bonner or Remedial Project Manager Craig Zeller using the information below.