From 1955 to 1987, Sangamo Weston, Inc. ran a capacitor manufacturing plant in Pickens, South Carolina. The plant discharged wastewater into Town Creek, a tributary of Twelve-Mile Creek and Lake Hartwell, and disposed of wastes at six nearby areas. That left PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), volatile organic compounds, and heavy metals in soil, groundwater, sediment, sludge, and fish tissue. The EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1990 and split cleanup into two areas: the plant and disposal sites, and the downstream watershed.
Schlumberger Technology Corporation, which acquired Sangamo Weston, led cleanup from 1993 to 1997. Workers removed and treated about 60,000 tons of contaminated material. Groundwater treatment at the plant began in 1998 and recovered 225 million gallons, pulling out 1,630 pounds of volatile organic compounds and 18 pounds of PCBs. A separate system at one disposal area ran for about 10 years and removed 86 pounds of contamination. Cleanup also included capping contaminated sediments in Lake Hartwell and posting 79 fish advisory signs by 2009.
Cleanup construction is complete. The EPA's most recent assessment found human exposure at the site under control, meaning no unacceptable exposure pathways currently exist. Groundwater contamination stays within the plant area and one disposal area, with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site is considered ready for anticipated reuse. A record of decision amendment for the plant site and remote areas is estimated for late 2027, and long-term response action is estimated for late 2025.
Parts of the site have been put back to use. Schlumberger donated a portion of the property to the City of Pickens in 1999, and the city turned it into a public recreation complex. The plant area now supports industrial uses, and the six disposal areas support residential uses. Zoning restrictions and other institutional controls stay in place to prevent uses that do not match cleanup standards. Fish advisories remain active for fish from Lake Hartwell and Twelve-Mile Creek, and a public education program that started in 1998 continues to inform lake users about those advisories. Annual monitoring of sediments and fish tissue is ongoing.
Community members can get involved through public notices, public meetings, and interviews held as part of EPA's outreach efforts. Site documents are available at the R.M. Cooper Library at Clemson University, the Pickens County Public Library's Easley Branch, and the Hart County Library in Hartwell, Georgia. Two EPA staff members are available to answer questions directly.
