The Hemphill Road TCE site is a 15-acre former drum recycling property in South Gastonia, North Carolina. It has been on the EPA's National Priorities List since December 2013. The site is also known as the Gastonia Industrial Truck Site and sits in Gaston County. Remedial action began in March 2022 and is still in progress, with full construction completion not yet achieved.
Trichloroethylene, or TCE, is the only contaminant of concern. It has been found in both soil and groundwater at the site's single operable unit, OU01. TCE first turned up in a private drinking water well on Hemphill Road in 1988 and was later found in additional private and community water supply wells. The contamination traces back to drum recycling operations in the 1950s, when chemical residues were dumped on the ground before drums were burned and crushed for scrap.
The EPA selected a cleanup plan on September 27, 2018, at an estimated cost of $5.8 million. The remedy includes in-situ chemical oxidation, which treats contaminated soil and groundwater without excavating it, along with connections to municipal or community water supplies, long-term groundwater monitoring, and institutional controls. Groundwater remediation injections took place in fall 2023, and quarterly monitoring began in September 2024. The EPA is currently working to secure easements from private property owners to extend the municipal water line. Until that line is extended, affected properties use water filtration systems on their private wells. Funding for the water line extension came through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Human exposure is currently under control. Water filtration systems are in place on impacted wells, and vapor intrusion testing shows no site-related vapor intrusion at nearby residences. Groundwater migration is also under control, with contamination stabilized and no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Remedial action is divided into two phases, with the first phase expected to finish between December 2026 and February 2027 and the second between July and September 2027.
Community members can follow the cleanup through public notices, fact sheets, and public meetings. The EPA has held meetings at Ridge Baptist Church with representatives from multiple agencies, including the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and Gaston County Environmental Health. Public records are available at the Gaston County Public Library in Gastonia. Questions can be directed to the Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager.
