PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT
GOLDEN STRIP SEPTIC TANK
SIMPSONVILLE, GREENVILLE COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA
Golden Strip Septic Tank Services, Inc. (GSST), is a 55-acre tract of farm land located near the town of Simpsonville, Greenville County, South Carolina. The site consists of 25% of the 55-acre tract of land and contains five inactive unlined lagoons. These lagoons received industrial wastes from a number of facilities from the adjoining five counties between 1960 and 1975. The wastes included inks, caustics, textile dyes, spin finish oil, septic tank wastes, metal plating liquids, dyestuff wastewater, electroplating sludge, and electroplating wastewater from a number of facilities from the adjoining five counties. Materials released into the lagoons were subject to evaporation and seepage. Available information indicates that wastes were deposited into the lagoon with the most capacity. The GSST site was included on the National Priorities List (NPL) in July 1987.
The community expressed concerns about the possible health effects associated with using their private drinking water wells. In 1990, these residents signed a petition requesting that the town of Simpsonville provide them with municipal water. Municipal water is now available in this area. The community has not expressed health concerns since the beginning of the site cleanup.
Site-related contaminants identified as being of concern include organic compounds, pesticides, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), and metals. Contaminants of concern were detected in on-site soil, surface water and sediments in the lagoons, in the lagoon wastes, and groundwater. The Remedial Investigation (RI) classifies the on-site area as the fenced lagoon area (25% of the total property) within the 55-acre tract of farm land. Contaminants of concern were also detected in off-site soil, sediments, and groundwater.
No completed exposure pathways were identified for the GSST site. Future potential exposure pathways were identified for exposures to on-site soils, groundwater, and the lagoons and for off-site soil, sediments, and groundwater. However, the soil samples collected as part of the RI do not represent surface soil samples and this pathway cannot be fully evaluated. Human exposure by ingestion, inhalation, or through dermal contact with contaminated soil, groundwater, or lagoon wastes could occur if the site is developed in the future. The off-site contamination detected in soil, groundwater, and sediments is restricted to the 55-acre tract of farm land. No samples were collected as part of the RI from areas beyond the 55-acre tract of land. These samples are needed to evaluate the potential human exposures to contamination from this site.
The GSST site is classified as being an indeterminate public health hazard due to data gaps identified. The available data do not indicate that humans are being or have been exposed to levels of contamination that would be expected to cause adverse health effects. However, groundwater sampling has not adequately characterized the extent of contamination on or near the site. Additional sampling is needed to better characterize the extent of contaminant migration and to evaluate the likelihood and possible extent of exposure.
This Public Health Assessment recommends: (1) that a private well survey be conducted to identify the location and use of private wells within a 1-mile radius of the site; (2) that restrictions be placed on the future development and use of the site; (3) that the site security be maintained and the trespassing access points be monitored and eliminated; (4) that additional groundwater sampling be conducted to better characterize the extent of groundwater contamination and to determine the existing groundwater plume; and (5) that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implement the remediation plans of the on-site waste material.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's
(ATSDR) Health Activities
Recommendation Panel reviewed this document and determined that ongoing community
education
concerning possible health effects associated with site-related contaminants is needed. No other
follow-up health actions were indicated.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), under a cooperative agreement with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), will evaluate the public health significance of this site. SCDHEC will determine whether health effects are possible and will recommend actions to reduce or prevent possible health effects. ATSDR, in Atlanta, Georgia, is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is authorized by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) to conduct public health assessments at hazardous waste sites.
A. Site Description and History
Golden Strip Septic Tank Services, Inc. (GSST), is a 55-acre tract of farm land located off Adams Mill Road, approximately 6 miles northeast of Simpsonville (Figures 1 and 3, Appendix A). The site coordinates are 34 46' 58" north latitude and 82 14' 50" west longitude.
GSST is a former waste hauling and disposal company that began accepting industrial and
septic
wastes in 1960. The site occupies approximately 25% of the central portion of the 55-acre farm
tract and consists of five unlined and inactive lagoons. Access to the site is through the north by a
dirt road that opens into a truck turnaround area and from the southwest by Adams Mill Road. In
1960 , the site consisted of two waste lagoons. By 1972, it expanded to five lagoons (Figure 3).
When the lagoons were operable, their estimated capacity was 2.775 million gallons. Design
capacities for the lagoons ranged up to 840,000 gallons:
| Lagoon (Impoundment) | Capacity (gallons) |
| 1 | 640,000 |
| 2 | 70,000 |
| 3 | 450,000 |
| 4 | 840,000 |
| 5 | 775,000 |
Lagoon #5 was built in late 1972 and early 1973. It was not filled to capacity when GSST ceased operations in 1975. Two of the lagoons were initially excavated and used for storage of industrial wastewater and sludge. Later, additional impoundments were excavated. Some of the industrial wastes that the lagoon received included inks, caustics, textile dyes, spin finish oil, septic tank wastes, metal plating liquids, dyestuff wastewater, electroplating sludge, and electroplating wastewater from a number of facilities from the adjoining five counties. No data are available about the characteristics or volume of the disposed wastes.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) first began investigating the site in 1972. In 1975, SCDHEC revoked the operating permits for the facility.
In 1978, GSST requested permission from SCDHEC to cover lagoons #2, #3, and #5 because they had dried up. These lagoons were covered with earth previously bermed around each lagoon. No wastes were removed from these lagoons. Presently, these areas are covered with grasses and shrubs. Lagoons #1 and #4 remain uncovered. Materials released into the lagoons were subject to evaporation and seepage. Available information indicates that wastes were deposited into the lagoon with the most capacity.
The original operator of the facility is deceased. His widow owns the property and resides in a house on the southern portion of the farm. Several outbuildings (barns and storage buildings), are located near the house. There is a spring approximately 100 yards from the house, that is the source of an unnamed tributary that flows into Gilder Creek (Figures 1 and 2). This spring has been the primary source of potable water for the property owner's home and for the livestock, for more than thirty years.
In 1984, SCDHEC requested that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) perform a site-screening investigation. This investigation detected contamination in on-site lagoons, wastes, and sediments, and in the on-site springs and unnamed creeks (Superfund Fact Sheet, July 1989). In 1986, EPA performed a Preliminary Assessment and Site Investigation (PA/SI) and proposed that GSST be placed on the National Priorities List (NPL). The site was added to the NPL in July 1987. EPA issued an Administrative Order by Consent (Consent Order) that prompted a Remedial Investigation (RI) of the site "...to determine the nature and extent of the threat to public health or welfare, or the environment caused by the release or threatened release of hazardous substances from the site."(28) To accomplish these objectives, the RI was divided into two efforts: (1) investigation of the nature and extent of waste constituents at GSST, and (2) assessment of the potential human health and environmental effects associated with exposures to contaminants identified as being of concern.
In July 1987, concerned citizens contacted SCDHEC and EPA, and asked that the liquids and sludge found in the lagoons be removed. This resulted in the issuance of an EPA Consent Order in 1988 (88-26-C) requiring GSST and the Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) to remediate the site. As a result, the landowner and PRPs retained RMT, Inc., of Greenville, S.C. (RMT) as a contractor to conduct a remedial investigation (RI) for the site. RMT completed the initial investigation in 1990.
In March 1991, RMT completed a supplemental round of sampling designed to characterize the existing contaminant plume. In June 1991, EPA conducted a public meeting to discuss preferred options for remediating the site. In 1991, the selected clean-up was outlined in the Record of Decision (ROD). A ROD is a public document that records a brief history of the respective NPL site, the results of the investigations, evaluation of all the remedial alternatives considered for the site remediation, and EPA's final selection of a cleanup alternative.
On December 28, 1990, project staff consisting of Charles Lewis, Ed Gregory, and Yanqing Mo conducted a site visit. Due to the holiday schedule, RMT had no workers on the site. We gained site access with verbal permission from the property owner. We noted a chain-link fence, topped by three strands of barbed wire (total height - 8 feet). This fence encloses the lagoon area. All the gates were securely padlocked. We encountered a point of access on the northwest side of the site, where a wet weather drainage ditch passes beneath the fence. The ditch was approximately 3-feet wide and 2.5-feet high. No water was flowing in the ditch. This ditch connects with the unnamed tributary, that flows into Gilder Creek (Figure 1).
RMT has stored approximately one hundred 55-gallon drums containing on-site wastes on the west side of the fenced area. We did not inspect the lagoons or the drums. On-site vegetation is not stressed.
We also noted several middle and upper-middle class homes in various stages of construction. These homes were located to the north, east, and west of the site. We observed well water houses in the older homes, indicating these homeowners may utilize these wells. We estimated that approximately ten of these homes may still utilize private drinking water wells.
On January 16, 1991, Charles Lewis and Angela Gorman (SCDHEC), Craig Zeller (EPA), and RMT personnel conducted a lengthy walking tour of the site and discussed options for groundwater monitoring. RMT representatives identified several small cultivated plots on the outer northeast edge of the farm indicating that homeowners had small gardens in this area. No information is available about what crops were grown or their consumption. Although these small gardens were located topographically upgradient of the surface water and groundwater flow, RMT contacted the homeowners and requested that they stop growing crops.
Several days before the site visit, moderate rainfall resulted in water flow in the ditch. There was no water flow in the ditch during the previous site. The two open lagoons contained rainwater and surface runoff but did not appear to be in danger of overflowing. We noted a point of access to the site, from the ditch beneath the fence. RMT agreed to secure the opening as soon as possible.
C. Demographics, Land Use, and Natural Resources Use
Demographics
The GSST site is located east of Mauldin and north of Simpsonville in Greenville County, South Carolina. Single-family homes surround the site. A number of middle- and upper middle-class homes were built in the area during the 1980s. The homes to the southwest of the site are predominantly lower middle-class homes. Table 1 presents the demographics for this area.
Portions of the site are forested. There are scattered trees in the southern portion of the site. the northeast corner of the site was cleared of trees and is covered by thick scrub vegetation.
The topography at and near the site consists of gently rolling hills. An Elementary school is
located
approximately two miles west of the site, and a middle school is located approximately two miles
south of the site. A church and a YMCA are located approximately one mile southwest of the
site.
Another church is located approximately 1.75 mile north of the site. The nearest residence is
located
approximately 100 yards to the northwest of the site. Homes surround the site to the north, east,
and west.
TABLE 1
GSST SITE DEMOGRAPHICS
| A*. | Demographics for 1-mile radius Total Population: 2823 |
| B*. | Demographics for 2-mile radius Total Population: 7838 |
| % White |
% Black |
% Other |
% <10 yrs |
% 65+ yrs |
% Rental Units <$150/ month ** |
% Houses <$25,000 |
% Renter- Occupied |
| A* 88 | 10 | 2 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 21 |
| B* 90 | 9 | 1 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 25 |
Land Use
Land use in the vicinity of the site is primarily residential, although, the area to the southwest of the site is primarily agricultural. Undeveloped land is heavily forested, while residential and agricultural areas are generally cleared of trees.
The GSST property owner reports that cattle used to graze on the farm during its years of operation. However, the cattle did not graze in the lagoon areas, as access to this area was restricted by a fence. No cattle have been kept on the site since the beginning of the EPA intervention.
Natural Resources
The homes located near the site are serviced by a public water supply. Some private wells still exist in the area; however, no information exists to indicate that these wells are being utilized as drinking water sources. Most of the surrounding property is dedicated to real estate development.
Most residences and industrial/commercial enterprises within the area, obtain their drinking water from surface water sources from the uplands of northern Greenville County.
A spring is located in the southwestern portion of the site. The resulting stream is an unnamed tributary of Gilder Creek. Gilder Creek flows west to east approximately 1,100 feet north of the site into the Enoree River approximately eight miles downstream. Land surrounding the unnamed tributary is undeveloped. The unnamed tributary has insufficient flow to support fish.
Since there are no known completed exposure pathways at the GSST site, evaluation of
health
outcome data is not warranted at this time.
In July 1987, residents sent a petition to the South Carolina Commissioner of Health, asking for removal of the remaining liquid wastes in lagoons #1 and #4. Residents were concerned about the possible health effects associated with the use of their drinking water. In 1990, area residents signed a petition requesting that the town of Simpsonville provide them with municipal water.
Concerned citizens reported two deaths caused by cancer prior to 1989. Project staff gathered information from SCDHEC Vital Statistics and found that the deceased were males. One individual died of lung cancer, the other individual died from a non-specified lymphoma.
The GSST Public Health Assessment (PHA) was available for review and public comment from December 11, 1992 to January 11, 1993. Copies of the PHA were available for comment/interested parties at the Greenville Public Library, Greenville City Hall, and the Division of Health Hazard Evaluation at SCDHEC in Columbia. Additionally, news releases were sent to all weekly and daily newspapers in the state, all television networks in the state, the Associated Press, and the South Carolina Radio network. This comment period was intended to give the public and/or interested parties an opportunity to voice additional concerns or make comments pertaining to the Golden Strip Septic Tank Public Health Assessment. The office of Health Hazard Evaluation of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control did not receive comments during this period.
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