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Gurley Pesticide Burial
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: NCD986172526Location: Selma, Johnston County, NC
Lat/Long: 35.532453, -078.287191
Congressional District: 02
NPL Status: Superfund Alternative Site
Affected Media: Ground water, Soil
Cleanup Status: Soil removal actions are complete; Assessment of ground water quality improvements are underway.
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Potential for Commercial/Industrial
Site Manager: Randy Bryant (bryant.randy@epa.gov)
Site Background
The 103-acre Gurley Pesticide Burial site, located in Selma, Johnston County, North Carolina, is the location of both a former phosphate fertilizer production facility and an agricultural chemical distribution facility. There are two major areas of interest at the site, designated as the pesticide burial area (PBA) and the acid plant area (APA). The PBA is where approximately 147 drums of pesticides were buried in 1974 and were subsequently removed. The APA primarily consists of metal contamination due to previous discharges of acidic waters containing metals during fertilizer processing operations.
Threats and Contaminants
Past site operations have led to the contamination of soil and ground water with pesticides, organics, inorganics, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds.
Site Cleanup Plan
The Record of Decision (ROD) for the site was issued in 2006. Major cleanup elements for the site included:
- Excavation of approximately 17,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from the APA. Excavated soils categorized as hazardous waste will be treated to render the material non-hazardous prior to off-site disposal.
- Addition of lime to the bottom of the excavation as appropriate to reduce the mobility of residual lead in the soil.
- Backfilling the excavation with clean soil and topsoil and seeding with grass.
- Installation of a reactive treatment zone in the path of impacted ground water such that target contaminants are removed or altered by physical, chemical, and/or biological means.
- Monitoring ground water to assess the effectiveness of the reactive treatment zone and compliance with applicable or relevant and appropriate regulations.
- Implementation of institutional controls on the property to limit future use of the site and ground water.
Cleanup Progress
The excavation and off site disposal of contaminated soil began in March 2008 and was completed in mid July 2008. A total of approximately 39,000 tons (about 26,000 cubic yards) of soil were removed and shipped off site for proper disposal. Site restoration tasks were completed in October 2008.
Additional contaminated soil was discovered adjacent to a railroad spur on the Site property during the spring of 2010. An additional 3700 tons of soil were excavated and disposed during July 2010. The soil was handled in the same manner and disposed at the same off-site disposal facility as was used during the 2008 soil cleanup.
Additional groundwater testing is currently underway and the results will aid in the design of the groundwater remedy. A reactive treatment zone and a related injection treatment will be tested on a portion of the Site during late 2011 and continuing into 2012.
Site cleanup activities are being led primarily by potentially responsible parties with oversight by EPA.
Enforcement Activities
April 1997, EPA issued a Unilateral Administrative Order that resulted in a removal action conducted by Mobil Oil Corporation later in 1997.
In September 1998, EPA entered an Administrative Order by Consent with Mobil Oil Corporation and Illinois Cereal Mills to conduct and implement the remedial investigation and feasibility study.
In May 2001, NSEW Corporation, the current owner of the site, entered into a prospective purchaser agreement with EPA, whereby NSEW agreed to reimburse EPA a portion of its response costs incurred at the site.
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Gurley Pesticide Burial 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 phase of work at the Site involves the remedial design of the groundwater remedy. The design of the groundwater remedy may be completed in 2012.
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.
Selma Public Library
301 N. Pollock Street
Selma, NC 27576-2525
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.