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| Blue Ridge Plating Company | Arden, North Carolina | |
| Buncombe County | 11th Congressional District |
Site Location/Size:
The Blue Ridge Plating Company is an active electroplating facility in Buncombe County, North Carolina. The facility is located on more than three acres, with the southern portion of the property extending into a wetland.
Site History:
Blue Ridge Plating Company began operations in 1974 as an electroplating and metal finishing facility. The operation used black oxide, cadmium, chromium, copper, cyanide, tin and zinc. Since 1980, the facility has incurred numerous violations for improper disposal of hazardous wastes and noncompliance with RCRA enforcement actions. As the result of a 1989 FBI investigation, the company was found guilty on Federal charges for discharging waste illegally into the municipal water system.
Site Contamination/Contaminants:
Soil contamination is the result of discharges of electroplating wastes. Contamination has been documented in onsite soils, ground water, and sediments in the wetland and water bodies. Contaminants of concern include cadmium, chromium, lead, copper, nickel, cyanide and zinc.
Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment:
Contamination has been documented in the underlying ground water, wetland area, and water bodies. The French Broad River and Lake Julian are fisheries and home to the State-designated endangered Paddlefish and the rare Tangerine Darter. There are private and community drinking water wells located within 4 miles of the facility.
Response Activities (to date):
EPA completed the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study and issued the Record of Decision for the Blue Ridge Plating Company.
[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination. See 56 FR 5600, February 11, 1991, or subsequent FR notices.]
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.