By David Meade
The Pelzer Heritage Commission public meeting held last Thursday provided information about a revised analysis of the brownfield clean-up project of the Overlook Park Parcel at the old Pelzer Mill dump site.
The original analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2014 was revised to reflect new terrain information obtained by a recent survey; to meet permitting requirments of SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC); and to incorporate new climate change considerations.
Represendatives of EPA, SCDHEC, Anderson County and Cardno, Inc. (the company helping PHC administer the project) attended and provided information on the revised Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA) for the project.
The meeting was sparsely attended by only a few residents. No representatives of the Town of Pelzer were present.
PHC Vice President Larry Coker welcomed everyone, stating that the meeting was being held to provide information and answer questions about the cleanup project in the hopes of one day redeveloping the property.
“We wish we had more participation from the community,” Coker said. He noted the project was getting great support from Anderson County.
“These cleanup grants are crucial for the next step to redevelop this town,” Coker said.
Gail Jeter of Cardno, Inc. thanked Attorney West Cox for representing the project at an EPA meeting in Jacksonville recently. She also praised Anderson County for their help.
“I have never seen a county as supportive as Anderson County, in working together to solve problems,” she said.
Jeter explained some details about cleanup alternatives included in the draft ABCA.
According to Jeter, in 2015 PHC was awarded two separate grants in the amounts of $200,000 each for cleanup of the old dump which encompasses 16.85 acres.
The property is divided into two sites which are separated by the CSX railroad.
The Overlook Park Parcel is located between the CSX Railroad and the Saluda River. The parcel encompasses approximately 18.85 acres. Approximately 1.7 acres of the property is the waste disposal area known as the “East Dump.”
According to the ABCA, there is no hazardous substance on contaminated areas on the parcel other than the portion identified as the East Dump.
On the other side of the railroad tracks is the “West Dump”also being called the Riverfront Park Parcel. The West Dump site is 2.1 acres.
Jeter said the two EPA grants are site specific and have to be used for the site for which it is designated.
Surveying of the actual boundaries of each dump site was completed in July 2016.
The survey showed some areas on the East Dump are too steep and will need some grading before it can be capped, Jeter said.
Jeter explained that the ABCA is a work compass that looks at the practicality and cost of the project and long term use of the properties and and evaluates the differences of options.
Jeter said the ABCA had to be revised after the survey was completed to address the steep slope and to add “climate change language” required by the EPA.
According to Jeter, the revised ABCA offers three alternatives for the property. They are: Do nothing; Dig up and remove the waste (at a cost of $6.7 million); or Cap the dump area.
According to the ABCA, the East Dump has a steep slope along the north, east and southeast boundaries. To Cap the property, some material will have to be moved to lessen the slope and once completed, the area will have grass covering it.
Estimated cost for the two projects is $154,000 for the west parcel and $182,000 for the east parcel.
Eight to ten truckloads of waste material will be removed and 1,140 truck loads of clean fill dirt will be brought in to cover the site, Jeter said. The cap will be a cover of two feet of clean soil.
Due to the closeness of the slope to the river at the north end, the slope will be re-configured by cutting into the slope and pulling the waste material up to areas further removed from the river. It is expected that some items found during the excavation will have to be removed to suitable offsite facility.
The sloped area will have to be graded to a 1-3 grade that is walkable. Trees and shrubs will not be allowed on the east site due to EPA guidelines. If allowed EPA guidelines require a costly “tree well,” Jeter said.
Other EPA guidelines reflected in the revised ABCA are related to the effects of climate change on the property that include “reasonably foreseeable changing climate conditions” such as sea level rise, increased frequency and intensity of flooding and/or extreme weather events.
The property can have winding paths and picnic areas, she said.
Mark Berenbrok of SC DHEC said the west site is the older site and both sites were used before there were requirements for dump sites in the state.
He said DHEC will work with PHC on the project to “get as much corrective action as possible with the funds that are available.”
Berenbrok also said there are monitoring wells already located on the property and they have shown no problems. “We haven’t found anything at all,” he said. He said PHC will be required to submit a yearly report on the property after the project is completed.
EPA Region 4 Brownfields Coordinator Barbara Alfano said the EPA funding for the project is set and that having SCDHEC work with the project is “invaluable.”
She said there is a two year time limit left on adminstering the grant and that the project appeared to be moving along to meet the deadline.
RFPs are expected in January, according to Jeter.
Michael Forman, AICP manager with the Anderson County Planning & Community Redevelopment Department of Anderson County gave an update on funding the county has been involved in getting for cleanup projects at the Pelzer Mill properties.
Foreman said the county has allocated $50,000 in the budget for pallet removal at the lower mill site. Pallets will be ground into mulch.
He also announced that the Catawba Council of Governments revolving fund just approved an allocation of $250,000 for cleanup and capping and debris removal at the lower mill site.
PHC has also been awarded a SCDHEC Revolving Fund grant of $60,000. SCDHEC will provide funding of $48,000 and a required $12,000 match which will come from Anderson County, Foreman said.
This grant will be used for lead based paint and asbestos cleanup on the old office building.
The revosed ABCA will be available for public comment beginning through Friday, December 2.
A copy of the draft ABCA is available at the Pelzer Town Hall located at 103 Courtney Street, Pelzer. A copy can be requested from Larry Coker, Vice-President of the PHC, at lcoker8@att.net,
Comments about the draft ABCA can be sent to:
Gail Rawls Jeter, Vice-President, Cardno, Inc, 1812 Lincoln Street, Suite 301, Columbia, South Carolina 29201or email Gail.Jeter@Cardno.com.
Or to: Larry Coker, Vice-President, Pelzer Heritage Commission, Post Office Box 627, Pelzer, South Carolina, 29669 or email Lcoker8@att.net or phone (864) 243-9120.
