Para-Chem Southern, Inc.

Overview

H.B. Fuller Company operates this 140-acre manufacturing facility in Simpsonville, South Carolina, producing acrylic polymers, coatings, and adhesives. The EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1990 after industrial waste burial between 1975 and 1979 and wastewater discharge into unlined ponds contaminated the groundwater and soil. Contamination has not migrated beyond the property boundary.

Contaminants found in soil, groundwater, surface water, and sludge include chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene, volatile organic compounds including benzene, toluene, and xylene, heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and chromium, and other substances including phthalate compounds and pentachlorophenol. All contamination is within Operable Unit 01.

Cleanup has been underway since the late 1980s. Work has included extracting and treating contaminated groundwater with air stripping, excavating contaminated sludge and soil, and running a soil-vapor extraction system. In 2019, the EPA approved in-situ chemical oxidation to destroy subsurface contamination faster and updated cleanup levels to match current drinking water standards. A 2018 investigation found additional source contamination near and under the production facility. Treated water is discharged to a tributary of Big Durbin Creek under a permit. H.B. Fuller Company funds all cleanup and oversight activities. Institutional controls including deed restrictions limit groundwater use and land use in contaminated areas.

The EPA has determined that human exposure is under control and no unacceptable exposure pathways currently exist. About 1,500 people have private wells within three miles of the site, but none of those wells are in the contaminated groundwater area. The manufacturing facility uses public water. Nearby schools and residential areas are upgradient from the site and are not affected. A second phase of remedial action began in December 2019 and is estimated to finish between December 2027 and February 2028. The most recent five-year review was completed in September 2025. The site has not yet been deleted from the National Priorities List.

Community members can stay informed through public notices, public meetings, and interviews conducted by the EPA. Anyone with questions can contact the Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. Site documents are available for public review at the Fountain Inn Public Library, Kerry Ann Younts Culp Branch, at 311 N. Main Street in Fountain Inn, South Carolina.