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Golden Strip Septic Tank Service
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
YMCA of Greenville has built shelters for summer activities near the capped landfill area of the Golden Strip Septic Tank Service site.
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: SCD980799456Location: Simpsonville, Greenville County, SC
Lat/Long: 34.785000, -082.246600
Congressional District: 04
NPL Status: Proposed: 01/22/87; Final: 07/22/87; Deleted: 9/10/98
Affected Media: Ground water, Soil, Sludge, Surface Water
Cleanup Status: Deleted from the NPL - Physical cleanup activities have been completed.
Human Exposure Under Control: Yes
Groundwater Migration Under Control: NA
Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use: Yes
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: In recreational reuse – a multi-use recreational complex, day camp and park are located at the site
Site Manager: Craig Zeller (zeller.craig@epa.gov)
Current Site Status
The Golden Strip Septic Tank Service site includes the area where a waste hauling and disposal service operated from 1960 until 1975. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1987 because of contaminated soil, sludge and surface water resulting from facility operations. EPA, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) and Golden Strip Task Group, 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. By monitoring ground water, placing institutional controls on the site property and undertaking Five-Year Reviews, EPA, SCDHEC and the site’s PRPs continue to protect people and the environment from site contamination.
Site Location and Background
The 55-acre site is located near Simpsonville, a suburb of Greenville, South Carolina. A forested area borders the site to the north and residential areas border the site to the south, east and west.
From 1960 until 1975, a waste hauling and disposal service operated at the site. Operations included the disposal of industrial and septic wastes into five unlined on-site wastewater ponds.
In 1987, EPA listed the site on the NPL. Following cleanup activities, EPA deleted the site from the NPL in 1998. The site’s cleanup can support residential and recreational land uses. The YMCA of Greenville currently owns the site and uses the site as a multi-use recreational complex, day camp and park.
Threats and Contaminants
Site investigations found contamination in soil, sludge and surface water that could potentially harm people in the area. Contamination resulted from waste handling practices at the site. Contaminants of concern include cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and cyanide.
Investigation and Cleanup Responsibility / Oversight
Golden Strip Task Group, the site’s PRPs, led site investigation and cleanup activities, with oversight provided by EPA and SCDHEC.
Site Cleanup Plan
In 1991, EPA issued a cleanup plan (a Record of Decision, or ROD) for the site. The plan included the following activities:
- Discharging surface water from on-site wastewater ponds to the local public water treatment facility.
- Digging up and solidifying contaminated soil and sludge.
- Placing the solidified soil and sludge into an on-site landfill.
- Filling in the dug-up area with clean soil.
- Establishing a vegetative cover to prevent erosion.
- Monitoring ground water and surface water to make sure soil treatment and containment remains effective.
- Placing institutional controls on the site property to limit land use.
Cleanup Progress
In 1994, the site’s PRPs began cleanup activities, including the pretreatment and discharge of water from the on-site wastewater ponds. From 1995 until 1996, the PRPs dug up contaminated soil and sludge, solidified approximately 57,000 cubic yards of soil and sludge with cement, and placed it in an on-site landfill. The PRPs capped the landfill with clean soil and a vegetated cover.
Following cleanup activities, EPA deleted the site from the NPL in 1998. The YMCA of Greenville purchased the site property in 2002. YMCA redeveloped the area into The YMCA-Lucille Rice Recreational Park, which offers a day camp, team-building exercise courses, education trails, athletic fields, picnic areas and natural areas. YMCA also redeveloped buildings remaining on site into an interactive environmental education center.
The site’s third Five-Year Review, completed in 2011, found that the site cleanup approach continues to protect people and the environment from remaining site contamination.
Summaries of cleanup activities are also available in Five-Year Reviews online.
Enforcement Activities
EPA negotiated legal agreements with the site’s PRPs to investigate and clean up the site. The PRPs continue to fund monitoring and oversight activities.
Community Involvement
EPA 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 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, interviews and public meetings.
Future Work
YMCA conducts operation and maintenance activities. These activities include inspections of the landfill cap, cover and site security, landscape maintenance to keep the landfill cap intact, and stream and ground water monitoring to verify the performance of the soil cleanup approach.
The site’s PRPs continue to monitor five wells annually to make sure landfill material is not leaching into ground water.
EPA completed the last Five-Year Review in 2011 and plans to complete the next Five-Year Review in 2016.
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
Hendricks Branch Library
626 Northeast Main Street
Simpsonville, SC 29681