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Reasor Chemical Company
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Reasor Chemical Company site one year after remediation.
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: NCD986187094
Location: Castle Hayne, New Hanover County, NC
Lat/Long: 34.343470, -077.891940
Congressional District:07
NPL Status: Proposed: 09/13/01; Final: 09/05/02
Affected Media: Ground water, Sediment, Soil, Surface Water
Cleanup Status: Construction Complete – Physical cleanup activities have been completed.
Human Exposure Under Control: Yes
Groundwater Migration Under Control: Yes
Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use: Yes
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Not in use -potential for Residential, Recreational or Ecological Use
Site Manager: Samantha Urquhart-Foster (urquhart-foster.samantha@epa.gov)
Current Site Status
The Reasor Chemical Company site includes the area where Reasor Chemical Company operated a pine tree stump processing facility for the production of turpentine and related products from 1959 until 1972. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2002 because of contaminated ground water, sediment, soil and surface water resulting from facility operations. EPA, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR), and the site’s potentially responsible parties (PRPs) have investigated site conditions and taken steps to clean up the site in order to protect people and the environment from contamination. Site contamination does not currently threaten people living and working near the site. A water line connects residences and businesses near the site to the public water supply. By monitoring the site and site ground water, placing institutional controls on the site property and undertaking Five-Year Reviews, EPA, NCDENR and the site’s PRPs continue to protect people and the environment from site contamination.
Site Location and Background
The 25-acre site is located at 5100 North College Road (Hwy 132) in Castle Hayne, New Hanover County, approximately 13 miles north of Wilmington, North Carolina. The site is located near the intersection of Hwy 132 and Kings Castle Road. Dense woods cover the site. Site features include areas that formerly housed an extraction unit, a refinery, distillation units, a burning area for copper and plastic, a pipe shop area, 10 tank cradles, and a former drum disposal area. A gate controls access to the site’s driveway. The site is not fenced. Commercial and industrial land uses border the site to the south, an elementary school borders the site to the north, Prince George Creek borders the site to the southeast and residences border the site to the west.
From 1959 until 1972, Reasor Chemical Company produced turpentine, resin, pine oil and related compounds from pine tree stumps at the site. In 1969, most operations at the site ended. The company removed equipment and demolished several buildings. In 1972, a fire destroyed remaining on-site structures. In 2002, EPA listed the site on the NPL.
Following cleanup activities, the local government rezoned the formerly industrial site for residential land uses. Surrounding properties are expected to be rezoned for commercial and residential land uses. The site property is currently vacant. However, the site can support residential, recreational and ecological reuses.
Threats and Contaminants
Site investigations found contamination in ground water, sediment, soil and surface water that could potentially harm people in the area. Contamination resulted from waste handling practices at the site. Contaminant of concern include heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Contamination affected on-site soil, sediment and surface water as well as approximately 0.8 miles of wetland frontage and posed a threat to more than 70 miles of wetland frontage that border the surface water migration pathway downstream of the site. The surface water pathway includes commercial and recreational fisheries and a habitat used by endangered species. Site cleanup has addressed soil, sediment and surface water contamination. The site can support residential, recreational and ecological uses.
Ground water contamination remains but is located within the site’s boundary. Institutional controls in the form of a Declaration of Perpetual Land Use Restrictions prevent shallow ground water use at the site.
Investigation and Cleanup Responsibility / Oversight
EPA led site investigation activities. The site’s PRPs lead cleanup activities with oversight provided by EPA and NCDENR.
Site Cleanup Plan
In 2002, EPA issued a cleanup plan (a Record of Decision, or ROD) for the site. In 2007, EPA issued a ROD Amendment. The ROD and ROD amendment plans included the following activities:
- Treating and disposing of approximately 344,000 gallons of contaminated surface water from on-site ponds.
- Digging up approximately 1,420 cubic yards of contaminated soil and sediment ponds, the scrap copper area, the pipe shop area and the drum disposal area and disposing of the materials off site.
- Backfilling the dug-up soil areas and revegetating the areas with native plant species.
- Restoring the former ponds as wetland habitats.
- Backfilling the drum disposal area with an alkaline substance to raise the pH of shallow ground water.
- Monitoring ground water annually to determine if contaminants of concern remain at elevated levels.
- Placing institutional controls on the site property to prohibit the use of shallow ground water.
Cleanup Progress
The site’s PRPs began cleanup activities in June 2007 and completed soil, sediment and surface water cleanup in July 2007.
In 2008, EPA approved a Final Construction Report/Interim Remedial Action Report and the PRPs placed institutional controls on the site property.
Annual site inspections noted animal tracks on the property, the presence of water in the ponds and the natural revegetation of the site.
Enforcement Activities
EPA negotiated legal agreements with the site’s PRPs in 2007 to clean up the site. The PRPs continue to fund monitoring and oversight activities.
Community Involvement
EPA has worked with the community and its state partner to develop a long-term cleanup plan for the site, reflecting the Agency’s commitment to safe, healthy communities and environmental protection. Community engagement and public outreach are core components of EPA program activities.
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities to solicit community input and to make sure the public remains informed about site activities throughout the cleanup process. Outreach efforts have included public notices, fact sheets, interviews, public meetings and updates. EPA also worked with New Hanover County Schools during construction of the elementary school north of the site to make sure that site did not affect the school.
Future Work
Annual site and ground water monitoring of the two wells affected by contamination is ongoing.
EPA requires Five-Year Reviews for the site until ground water achieves site cleanup goals. EPA plans to complete the first Five-Year Review in 2012.
Additional Information
EPA keeps additional site documents and information in a site information repository at the location below. EPA also posts site documents, when available, on EPA’s CERCLIS Site Profile page. For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.
Site Repository
New Hanover County Public Library
201 Chestnut Street
Wilmington, NC 28401