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FCX, Inc. (Statesville Plant)
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Site photo goes here.
- Additional Site Photos
- Site Video
Additional Resources
- Site Cleanup Terms - can be found in EPA's glossary
- EPA Guides to Cleanup Technologies
- Superfund Community Involvement (PDF) (17 pp, 130K, About PDF)
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: NCD095458527Location: Statesville, Iredell County, NC
Lat/Long: 35.786500, -080.916300
Congressional District: 10
NPL Status: Proposed: 06/24/88; Final: 02/21/90
Affected Media: Ground water, Soil
Cleanup Status: Construction Complete - Physical cleanup activities have been completed.
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Potential for Commercial/Light Industrial
Site Manager: Ken Mallary (mallary.ken@epa.gov)
Site Background
The FCX-Statesville site, located in Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina, consists of two properties: the former FCX property and the former Burlington Industries property. Beginning around 1940, Farmers Cooperative Exchange (FCX) began operations packaging, warehousing, and distributing a variety of pesticides and fertilizers on the former FCX property. In September 1986, FCX filed a voluntary petition under the provisions of Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code and abandoned the property.
During site investigations, a contaminant source was found to be originating from the property located immediately to the north of the FCX property. This 10-acre property is the former site of the Burlington Industries textile plant.
Threats and Contaminants
EPA site investigations confirmed the presence of soil and ground water contaminated with coal tar distillates, halogenated organic solvents, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and pesticides on the former FCX property. In 1995, a separate investigation was conducted to characterize the ground water VOC plume associated with the former Burlington Industries property.
Private and public wells within three miles of the site provide drinking water to an estimated 12,000 people.
Site Cleanup Plan
The cleanup plan for the FCX-Statesville site covered three operable units (OUs): OU-1 (pesticide ground water contamination), OU-2 (pesticide soil contamination), and OU-3 (Burlington ground water).
The Record of Decision (ROD) for OU-1 was issued in 1993. Major elements of the cleanup plan included:- Extraction of ground water at the FCX property and to the south of the FCX property that is contaminated above Federal Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) or the North Carolina Ground Water Standards, whichever are more protective.
- On-site treatment of extracted ground water with chemical precipitation/filtration and carbon adsorption.
- Discharge of treated ground water either to the local publicly owned treatment works or nearby surface water pathway.
- Monitoring of ground water entering and exiting the treatment system, as well as monitoring of the ground water quality across the site for an estimated 30 years.
- Deed restrictions in the affected area to prohibit the consumption of contaminated ground water.
- Additional sampling and monitoring as needed in order to properly design the selected remedy.
The ROD for OU-2 was issued in 1994. Major elements of the cleanup plan included:
- Demolition of the existing buildings and structures, and transportation of resulting rubble to an appropriate disposal facility.
- Excavation of approximately 6,945 cubic yards of contaminated soil and on-site soil stockpiling in preparation for treatment.
- On-site treatment of contaminated soil using thermal desorption and base catalyzed decomposition.
- Backfilling the excavated areas with the treated soil.
- Regrading and seeding the site with grass to minimize the potential for erosion and to enhance the appearance of the site.
The ROD for OU-3 was issued in 1996. Major elements of the cleanup plan included:
- Soil vapor extraction treatment of soil contaminated with VOCs.
- Air sparging treatment of ground water contaminants of concern.
- Monitoring of ground water entering and exiting the treatment system, as well as monitoring of the ground water quality on and around the textile facility, for evidence that natural attenuation is occurring. Monitoring will continue for an estimated 30 years, or until the performance standards have been met.
- Institutional controls to prohibit the consumption of contaminated ground water associated with the site.
- Additional monitoring and sampling as needed in order to properly design the selected remedy.
- Periodic sampling of the surface water and sediment to ensure that the quality of the ground water discharging into the seep meets North Carolina surface water standards.
Cleanup Progress
The OU-1 remedial action (RA) became operational in 1998, and involved the use of a ground water pump-and-treat system to address ground water contamination associated with the former FCX property. A ROD Amendment was finalized in 2006 which changed the OU-1 remedy from ground water pump-and-treat to monitored natural attenuation (MNA).
The OU-2 RA was completed in September 2001. Approximately 15,000 cubic yards of pesticide-contaminated soil were excavated, treated on site using thermal desorption, and backfilled on site. The liquid residual generated from the thermal desorption process was treated on site and disposed off site at an approved facility.
Initiated in 2001, the OU-3 RA uses a combination of air sparging, soil vapor extraction, and MNA to address the VOC contamination in soil and ground water associated with the former Burlington Industries property. Since 2001, air sparging and soil vapor extraction system has removed approximately 14,000 pounds of VOCs from the soil and ground water. In 2006, an explanation of significant difference was finalized, which added accelerated natural attenuation (ANA) to the existing remedy. The objective of using ANA at the site is to speed up the natural degradation processes in ground water, thereby achieving cleanup goals in less time.
The NCDENR took over the responsibility of the groundwater monitoring for the OU1 monitored natural attenuation (MNA) remedy in 2009. EPA is currently conducting a Five Year review of the Site. The Five Year Review will be completed in September 2011.
Enforcement Activities
In October and November of 1988, EPA and the State of North Carolina joined in legal action to secure the remaining assets of the bankrupt FCX Corporation prior to their disbursement to the investors. The proceedings occurred within the Federal Bankruptcy Court in Raleigh, North Carolina.
On July 14, 1992, a Trust Agreement was entered, which provided that a portion of the remaining FCX assets were to be divided between the FCX-Statesville site and the FCX-Washington site.
Under a June 1993 Administrative Order on Consent, Burlington Industries and the El Paso Natural Gas Company agreed to perform a separate remedial investigation and feasibility study to characterize VOC contamination associated with the former Burlington Industries property.
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the FCX-Statesville site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process. Outreach activities have included public notices, interviews, and public meetings on cleanup activities and updates.
Future Work
The next FYR is scheduled to be completed in 2011.
Assessments of soil vapor intrusion pathways and site-related ground water contamination, led by El Paso Natural Gas Company, are currently underway.
Site Administrative Documents
Site Repository
For more information or to view any site-related documents, please visit the site information repository at the following location. As new documents are generated, they will be placed in the information repository for public information.
Iredell County Public Library
135 E. Water Street
Statesville, NC 28677
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.