US Finishing/Cone Mills

Overview

The US Finishing/Cone Mills site is a former textile manufacturing facility in Greenville, South Carolina that operated from 1903 until 2003. The EPA placed it on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 2011 after investigations found contamination in surface water, groundwater, sediment, and soil. Contaminated areas include surface impoundments, on-facility soils, groundwater beneath the property, and sediments in Langston Creek and the Reedy River.

EPA identified 13 contaminants of concern at the site. Groundwater contains 1,4-dichlorobenzene, 2-methylnaphthalene, 4-chloroaniline, arsenic, chromium, cobalt, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and strontium. On-facility soils contain asbestos, chromium, and chromium(VI), which is a specific form of chromium. These are the substances that cleanup actions are designed to address.

Cleanup is organized into three operable units (OUs). For off-facility soils (OU 02), EPA determined no further action was needed, and that area was partially deleted from the NPL in September 2021. For on-facility soils (OU 01), EPA selected excavation, institutional controls, and no action in some areas. That portion was partially deleted from the NPL in February 2023. Remedial action was scheduled to begin by September 30, 2025. For sitewide groundwater (OU 03), EPA signed a final cleanup plan in September 2023 calling for in-situ chemical reduction and in-situ enhanced bioremediation, along with institutional controls to restrict groundwater use. Groundwater remedial action started in September 2024. Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds are supporting this work through a partnership among EPA, the State of South Carolina, and landowners. To EPA's knowledge, contaminated groundwater has not affected the public water system supplying nearby residents and businesses. Human exposure is currently under control across the entire site, though EPA has insufficient data to determine whether groundwater migration is under control.

The Cone Mills Acquisition Group (CMAG) has purchased parts of the site and entered a Prospective Purchaser Agreement with EPA. The 260-acre property is planned for mixed-use commercial and residential redevelopment. CMAG received EPA Region 4's Excellence in Site Reuse Award in December 2023.

Community members can get involved through public notices, public meetings, and interviews about cleanup activities. The Community Involvement Plan was updated in March 2022. Site documents are available at Hughes Main Library at 25 Heritage Green Place in Greenville. Questions can be directed to Community Involvement Coordinator Zariah Lewis or Remedial Project Manager Scott Martin.