Benfield Industries, Inc.

Overview

Benfield Industries operated in Hazelwood, North Carolina, mixing and packaging paint thinners, solvents, and wood preservatives from 1971 to 1983. A fire in 1982 destroyed the facility and left behind widespread contamination. The EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in October 1989. Because no responsible parties could be identified, the EPA used federal funding for all cleanup work.

The site has more than 150 confirmed contaminants of concern spread across soil, groundwater, sediment, and surface water. Those contaminants include volatile organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, and vinyl chloride. Heavy metals found at the site include lead, mercury, arsenic, and chromium, among others. Pesticides such as DDT and dieldrin are present, as are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) like benzo(a)pyrene. The contamination affected roughly 18,000 cubic yards of soil and spread 100 to 200 feet beyond the site boundary into groundwater.

Major cleanup steps began in the 1990s. Workers excavated and treated more than 31,000 tons of contaminated soil on site. A groundwater extraction system ran from 2001 to 2007. In 2017, the EPA started a pilot study using in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO), which treats contamination in place using chemical reactions, to address PAH contamination in a western portion of the site. A second amendment to the cleanup plan, issued in September 2015, shifted the overall strategy toward in-situ bioremediation and bioaugmentation, techniques that use biological processes to break down contaminants underground.

The five-year review completed in September 2023 concluded that the remedy protects human health and the environment. Two sources describe the cleanup performance measures differently. One source states the most recent Five Year Review was published in 2018, while another states it was completed in September 2023. Both sources agree that human exposure is under control and groundwater migration is stabilized. Physical construction is complete across the entire site. The property is now a vocational training center and manufacturing facility. Institutional controls restrict groundwater use, limit residential land use, and require deed restrictions preventing digging until benzo(a)pyrene levels reach cleanup goals. An additional remedial design phase is underway, with an estimated completion between February and April 2028. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL.

Community members can stay involved through public notices, public meetings, and interviews that the EPA uses to share updates and gather input. Site records are available for public review at Hazelwood Town Hall, 121 West Georgia Avenue, Hazelwood, North Carolina 28738. Two EPA staff members are available to answer questions directly.