The Koppers Co., Inc. Florence Plant operated as a wood treating and preserving facility on a 145-acre property in Florence, South Carolina. The plant used creosote, pentachlorophenol (PCP), and chromated copper arsenate as preservatives. Between 1971 and 1983, improper waste handling contaminated soil, groundwater, and sediment across the site. The EPA added the property to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1984.
The site has 33 solid waste management units, including abandoned dumps and a landfill. The responsible party capped the landfill, treated contaminated soil and placed it back on site, and is currently addressing contaminated sediments in on-site lagoons. A pump-and-treat system has controlled contaminated groundwater since the late 1980s. Contamination remains mostly within the site boundary, and no municipal or private water wells have been affected. The site is fenced and secured.
In 1991, cleanup responsibility shifted from the federal Superfund program to state oversight through South Carolina's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) program. The EPA deleted the site from the NPL in September 2013 under its policy for sites where the RCRA program takes the lead. Cleanup activities continue under the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). Ongoing work includes facility monitoring, groundwater treatment, and contaminated soil and sediment cleanup. Human exposure is currently under control, and groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Physical construction is not yet complete for the entire site.
One on-site business currently operates at the property, employing 70 people and generating about $27.4 million in annual sales revenue, reflecting progress toward returning the site to productive use.
Community members can stay involved through public notices, public meetings, and interviews that the EPA conducts to collect input and share updates. For more information, contact the South Carolina DHEC Community Participation Representative or the EPA Remedial Project Manager.
