Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot sits in Port Royal, South Carolina and has been on the National Priorities List (NPL) since December 1994. The NPL is the federal list of the most serious hazardous waste sites in the country. The base is an active military training facility, and cleanup is organized across more than 20 operable units (OUs), each covering a specific area or type of contamination. The site has not yet reached construction completion or deletion from the NPL.
Contamination at the site spans several media, including soil, groundwater, sediment, fish tissue, and waste material. Key contaminants include chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and vinyl chloride from a dry cleaner spill, along with metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and chromium found in landfill areas. Pesticide residues including DDT, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are present in soil and sediment. Mercury has been detected in fish tissue at multiple locations. More recently, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contamination has been identified at five additional sites still under investigation.
The U.S. Navy leads the investigation and cleanup work. The U.S. EPA and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control provide oversight. A Federal Facility Agreement became effective in 2006. Five operable units have cleanup decisions in place. These cover the incinerator landfill, a borrow pit landfill requiring no action, the causeway landfill, the dry cleaner spill area, and Jericho Island. Cleanup methods include capping, excavation, thermal treatment, bioremediation, chemical oxidation, and institutional controls. Remedial actions at the incinerator landfill and Jericho Island were both finished in 2008. The dry cleaner spill area is scheduled to begin remedial action between March and May 2027. Groundwater contamination at the site is not yet stabilized, meaning contaminated groundwater is still migrating.
The most recent sitewide five-year review was completed in August 2025. A prior 2015 review found that completed cleanups offer short-term protection but that long-term protection depends on proper maintenance and enforcement of land use controls. Current contamination levels do not threaten people living or working on or near the Depot, though there is insufficient data to determine whether human exposure is fully under control at all areas.
Community members can stay informed through a Technical Review Committee that meets as needed and includes representatives from local universities and natural resource organizations. Public notices, interviews, and public meetings have been used to share information and gather input. Site documents are available at the Beaufort County Public Library at 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, South Carolina 29902, or through the EPA Remedial Project Manager.
