SF_F_NCN000409881_20220408_FRB_PASI(1)

April 8, 2022
Ms. Sandra Bramble, RPM
Superfund Restoration and Site Evaluation Section
Superfund Division
US EPA Region IV Waste Division
61 Forsyth Street SW, 11th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30303
Subject: Site Reassessment Report
Payne Road Solvents site
NCN 000 409 881
Bessemer City, Gaston County, NC
Dear Ms. Bramble,
Under authority of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of
1986 (SARA), the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ) Superfund
Section conducted a Site Reassessment (SRR) at the above site. The purpose of this investigation
was to collect information concerning conditions at the site sufficient to determine the need for
additional CERCLA/SARA or other appropriate evaluation. Based on the results of this
investigation, this site is recommended for No Further Remedial Action Planned (NFRAP)
designation under CERCLA.
The scope of this investigation included reviews of an Integrated Preliminary
Assessment/Site Inspection and Removal Assessment (IPA/SI) performed by the NC DEQ
Superfund Section and the US EPA in 2006-2007, and a Site Reassessment report (SRR)
completed by the NC Superfund Section in 2008. The current reassessment was completed to
address the potential for subsurface intrusion posed by groundwater contaminants previously
documented by the above investigations. No additional data were available at the time of this
report
Site Description, Operational and Regulatory History and Waste Characteristics:
Site Description:
The site is a commercial/industrial land parcel located on the southeast corner of Payne
Road and Bessemer City Kings Mountain Highway in Bessemer City, Gaston County NC. Site
geographic coordinates are 35.2667o N Latitude and 81.3209o West Longitude (Refs. 3, 4; Figs. 1,
2).
Ms. Bramble
April 8, 2022
Page 2
The 1.81-acre site property was a single parcel containing five structures, until recently
addressed (north to south) as 105, 107, 109, and 113 Payne Road. The 113 Payne Road portion,
containing two structures, was sold as a separate parcel in January 2022 and redesignated 111
Payne Road. Land to the northeast contains a Duke Energy power substation, beyond which lies a
former drive-in theater and snack bar, followed by a residence and former mobile home park. Two
churches, a former restaurant and an automotive shop lie across Payne Road to the west of the site,
and the former Plastic Products commercial facility lies farther west. Land to the south across
Payne Road from the site is forest and farmland. Land to the northwest and north across Bessemer
City Kings Mountain Highway is commercial or undeveloped (Refs. 3, 4, 5; Fig. 2).
Site Operational and Regulatory History and Waste Characteristics:
Structures at the site property have various histories of commercial/industrial use. The 105
Payne Road structure was reportedly constructed in 1977 and initially operated as a machine shop.
The site owner at that time reportedly also operated a machine shop at an older (1950) structure at
109 Payne Road. The 105 address was leased from the late 1980s to mid-1990s and operated as
C&C Plating Company, an electroplating shop. Subsequently, Precision Metal Finishing
conducted metal electroplating, polishing, anodizing and coloring at 105 Payne Road. A machine
shop and an auto painting facility operated at 113 Payne Road in the mid-2000s and a private
garage was operating at 109 Payne Road in 2012. Other businesses that reportedly operated on the
site property included an auto body shop, an antique restoration business, a beef jerky
manufacturer and a motorcycle repair shop (Refs. 3, 4).
In February 2001, routine sampling revealed chlorinated volatile organic compound
(cVOC) contamination in a community drinking-water well across Payne Road (west) from the
site property. The well was located at (then) 108 Payne road and supplied the churches and
restaurant on that parcel, but was owned by, and also supplied, Plastic Products Company farther
to the west. As a result, the NC Division of Water Quality (NC DWQ) investigated surrounding
wells as part of Groundwater Incident #85622. The highest contaminant concentrations were
detected in the site property’s production well, located at 107 Payne Road and supplying the on-
site businesses at 105 through 113 Payne Road. Detections included: tetrachloroethene (PCE: 77
micrograms/cubic meter [µg/m3]); trichloroethene (TCE 24 µg/m3); 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA:
330 µg/m3); cis-1,2 dichloroethene (DCE: 5.4 µg/m3); 1,1-DCE (280 µg/m3) and 1,1-
dichloroethane (DCA: 8.3 µg/m3) (Refs. 3, 6).
In May 2002, representatives of the NC DWQ conducted soil sampling approximately 9
feet outside the 105 Payne Road Structure, collecting one soil sample at 3 feet depth and 1 sample
at 6 feet depth. The samples contained PCE (76-380 µg/kg ), TCE (13-17 µg/kg), 1,1,1-TCA (130-
280 µg/kg) and diesel-range organics (24-3,400 µg/kg) (Ref. 3).
Payne Rad SolventsNCN 000 409 881Site Reassessment
Ms. Bramble
April 8, 2022
Page 3
Between June 2006 and January 2007, the NC Superfund Section and the US EPA Region
4 conducted the IPA/SI at the site. During a June 2006 sampling event, the EPA sampled twenty-
nine privately-owned drinking water wells for VOCs within an approximately 1/2-mile radius of
the site property. During August and September 2006, the NC Superfund Section sampled six on-
site/nearby private wells for additional parameters, including semi-volatile organic compounds
and inorganic analytes. During the January 2007 event, the EPA collected soil samples from twelve
locations on the site property and on adjacent properties to the northeast and southwest, while the
NC Superfund Section re-sampled the site well and sampled three nearby commercial supply wells
for VOCs. The EPA also installed three temporary monitoring wells at 32-to-40-foot (drilling
“refusal”) depths (Refs. 3, 7, 8).
Results of the IPA/SI indicated that cVOC soil contamination was localized to 105 Payne
Road. Results indicated that site-related groundwater contamination was limited to five local
water-supply wells. Four contaminated drinking-water wells included the on-site well, two wells
to the west across Payne Road, and a private well (supplying a residence and multiple mobile
homes) approximately 700 feet to the northeast along Bessemer City Kings Mountain Highway.
One contaminated (non-drinking) fire-suppression well was located directly northeast of the site
property (Refs. 3, 7).
Subsequent to the discovery of groundwater contamination, the site property, the church
property across the street and the Plastic Products property farther to the west were all connected
to municipal water, and use of the two wells supplying these properties was discontinued.
Drinking-water use of the other contaminated well (at an automotive shop) across Payne Road
from the site was also discontinued due to contamination. Subsequent to March 2002, sample
cVOC results from the latter well did not exceed federal Maximum Contaminant Levels
(MCL/MCLGs), neither did historical cVOC results from the contaminated drinking-water well
700 feet to the northeast of the site property (Ref. 3; Fig. 2).
From 1995 through 2000, groundwater contamination by cVOCs was monitored at a well
supplying the Stinnet Acres Mobile Home Park, located approximately 0.4 mile southeast from
the site property. Contaminants detected included PCE, 1,1-DCE and 1,1-DCA, but not TCE.
None of the well’s historical cVOC results exceeded MCL/MCLGs. IPA/SI groundwater sampling
results for private wells located between the site property and Stinnet were non-detect for cVOCs,
and so this contamination was not attributed to the Payne Road Solvents site; the Stinnet mobile
park supply well itself was non-detect when last sampled in 1999 and 2000, and the mobile home
park was subsequently connected to municipal water (Ref. 3; Fig. 2).
Payne Rad SolventsNCN 000 409 881Site Reassessment
Ms. Bramble
April 8, 2022
Page 4
The EPA Removal Assessment concluded that no removal action was warranted at the site.
The NC Superfund Section’s 2007 IPA/SI report recommended further CERCLA investigation,
based on 1) the population (60 people) identified to have been using contaminated groundwater at
the time contamination was discovered, and 2) the presence of additional groundwater use in
relative proximity to the site, including new home construction with individual domestic wells to
the southeast (Ref. 3). However, during the 2008 SRR, the Superfund Section determined that (due
to pending closure of the mobile home park to the northeast of the site) the population using the
remaining contaminated drinking-water well 700 feet northeast of the site had declined from the
time of the 2007 PA/SI. In addition, a 2008 Health Risk Evaluation had recommended no
restrictions on use of the well. Based on the reduced exposure hazard from groundwater
consumption, the SRR revised the recommendation of the Payne Road Solvents site to No Further
Remedial Action under CERCLA (Ref. 9).
Groundwater Migration Pathway and Targets:
Gaston County, NC lies within the Piedmont Physiographic Province. Site hydrogeology
is typical of the piedmont, consisting of a composite unconfined aquifer comprising fractured
igneous and metamorphic bedrock and overlying, hydraulically connected weathered saprolite.
Based on subsurface explorations historically completed on site, depth to competent bedrock is
approximately 38 to 40 feet below ground surface, and depth to groundwater, while undetermined,
is apparently greater (Ref. 3).
No groundwater elevation data are available for the site. However, based on cumulative
groundwater sampling results, contaminated groundwater beneath the site has migrated in both a
northeast and a west-to-southwest direction, likely due to the hydraulic influence of bedrock wells
that have historically operated in those directions. Since investigations began in 2000, rates of
groundwater withdrawal have considerably decreased near the site, along with the number of
groundwater users and the hazard of direct exposure to groundwater contaminants. Of the five
contaminated water-supply wells identified in proximity to the site: two have been replaced by
municipal drinking water; use of the third well for drinking was discontinued, the fourth well was
never used for drinking, and the fifth has a greatly reduced user population and has been cleared
by the State of NC for unrestricted use (Refs. 3, 9; Fig. 2).
The nearest community water-supply well to the site (supplying a flea market to the
southwest) was non-detect when sampled during the IPA/SI. Residences and businesses not
connected to local municipal water lines rely on private individual supply wells. The 2007 IPA/SI
reported that new homes with individual wells were being constructed within 3/8 mile of the site.
However, based on current aerial imagery, this apparently referred to homes located along Meagan
Court, 0.15 to 0.3 mile southeast of the site. During the current investigation, a close review of
the IPA/SI report and figures revealed that EPA sampling in 2006 had included five or six wells
in that neighborhood, and that all of the results there were non-detect for cVOCs (Refs. 3, 10; Fig
2).
Payne Rad SolventsNCN 000 409 881Site Reassessment
Ms. Bramble
April 8, 2022
Page 5
Based on the current limited number of nearby groundwater targets, the exposure hazard
posed by the groundwater migration pathway appears to be minimal.
Surface Water Migration Pathway and Targets:
The site lies atop a small knoll, and site runoff can migrate along three different overland
pathways. The nearest perennial stream is more than 0.5 mile south from the site property. To the
north, a separate drainage pathway initially includes 0.25 mile of overland flow, 2 miles of
intermittent stream, and a pond. Given the volatility and other characteristics of the site
contaminants and the distances involved, the IPA/SI described but did not further investigate the
Surface Water Migration Pathway (Ref. 3).
The nearest surface water intake (Bessemer City) is located on Long Creek approximately
5 miles north from the site. The nearest wetland is 1.31 miles downgradient in this pathway (Refs.
3, 10, 11).
Soil Exposure and Subsurface Intrusion, and Air Migration Pathways and Targets:
The site is (recently divided) commercial property. To the northeast lies an electrical
substation. Churches and an automotive shop lie across Payne Road to the west of the site. Land
to the south across Payne Road from the site is forest and farmland. Land to the northwest and
north is commercial or undeveloped. (Refs. 4, 5).
No workers were reported on site at the time of the IPA/SI. The number of people working
at the site and surrounding properties is currently unknown. However, IPA/SI soil sampling in
and around the site identified hazardous cVOC contamination only in two subsurface soil samples
collected from within the site property. Based on this information, the hazard posed by the soil
exposure and outdoor air exposure pathways appears to be minimal (Ref. 3).
The current SRR was conducted to address the potential for subsurface intrusion of cVOCs
from groundwater into occupied structures. The IPA/SI identified groundwater contamination
attributable to the site beneath four properties with inhabited or potentially inhabited structures,
including the site itself, the church property across Payne Road, the automotive shop to the
southwest and the residence and (now former) mobile home park to the northeast (Ref. 3). The
number of residents and workers at the respective properties is currently undetermined. No day
care facilities are indicated in the area (Ref. 4). The two churches across from the site are listed as
closed for four to five days per week and no private day cares/preschools are indicated on their
websites (Refs. 13, 14).
Payne Rad SolventsNCN 000 409 881Site Reassessment
Ms. Bramble
April 8, 2022
Page 6
Cumulative groundwater analytical results, obtained prior to and during the IPA/SI, were reviewed and compared to EPA’s risk-based residential and commercial Target Groundwater
Vapor Intrusion Screening Levels (VISLs) as indicated by property use. None of the cVOC detections in residential supply wells exceeded their respective residential Target Groundwater VISLs. With the exception of an initial (2001) TCE result at the site property well, none of the results from non-residential supply wells exceeded their respective commercial Target Groundwater VISLs (Refs. 3, 12; Fig. 2; Table 1). Based on the above information, the hazard
posed burface intrusion exposure pathway is considered to be minimal.
Site Reassessment Conclusions:
Based on the Site Reassessment findings, the recommendation of No Further Remedial
Action Planned (NFRAP) under CERCLA for the Payne Road Solvents site remains unchanged. If you have any questions, please contact me at [e-mail] or [phone].
Sincerely,
_______________________
Qu Qi, Head
Federal Remediation Branch
NC Superfund Section
___________________________
Stuart F Parker, Hydrogeologist
Federal Remediation Branch
NC Superfund Section
cc:File
Janet MacDonald – letter only
Payne Rad Solvents NCN 000 409 881 Site Reassessment
Payne Road Solvents
NCN 000 409 881
Site Reassessment References:
1)US EPA 40 CFR Part 300, Hazard Ranking System, Final Rule, Federal Register Volume 55,
No. 241 Part II, July 1, 2019.
2)United States Environmental Protection Agency, Superfund Chemical Data Matrix, Appendix
B, Updated January 2022. Query at: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-chemical-data-
matrix-scdm-query
3)Stanley, Jeanette, NC DEQ, Superfund Section, “Integrated Preliminary Assessment/Site
Inspection/Removal Assessment, Payne Road Solvents, NCN 000 409 881, 107 Payne Rd,
Bessemer City, NC”. June 15, 2007.
4)Google Maps Latitude and Longitude Determination, Aerial Map and Imagery; Street Level
Imagery. Reviewed February 25, 2022.
https://www.google.com/maps
5)Gaston County, NC Geographic Information Service (GIS),
https://gis.gastongov.com. Reviewed October 6, 2021.
6)Incident Management Data Entry Record, Incident Number 85622, Payne Road Solvent Site.
October 24, 2006.
7)US Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry: “Health Consultation, Bessemer City PCE Plume, Gaston County, NC. August 24,
2006.
8)US Environmental Protection Agency, Science and Ecosystem Support Division: Expanded
Site Investigation Report for Payne Road Solvents Site, Bessemer City, North Carolina.
SESD Project Number 07-0171. July 1, 2007.
9)Stanley, Jeanette, NC DEQ, Superfund Section, “Site Reassessment Report, Payne Road
Solvents, NCN 000 409 881, 107 Payne Rd, Bessemer City, NC”. June 15, 2007.
10) NC DEQ, DWM, Superfund Section, Inactive Hazardous Sites Branch (IHSB) ARC GIS
Map Viewer: https://ncdenr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html
11) US Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetland Inventory on line Wetland Mapper.
Reviewed March 23, 2022.
https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/data/mapper.html
12) US EPA Vapor Intrusion Screening Level (VISL) Calculator output. March 24, 2022
https://epa-visl.ornl.gov/cgi-bin/visl_search
13) https://www.facebook.com/Light-of-Christ-488457094500284/
14) https://www.facebook.com/wordsofdeliverancechristianchurch/
Payne Rad SolventsNCN 000 409 881Site Reassessment
TABLES
Payne Road Solvents
NCN 000 409 881
Table 1: Comparison of Maximum Historical Groundwater Contaminant Concentrations to Vapor Intrusion Screening Levels
Maximum Historical Groundwater Contaminant Concentration Target Ground water VISL
105 Payne Rd 108 Payne Rd 112 Payne Rd 1365 BCKMH Stinnet Acres MHP Duke Power Residential Commercial
(Commercial)(Commercial)(Commercial)(Residential)(Residential)(Commercial)(10-6; HQ=0.1)(10-4; HQ=1)
PCE 77 7.4 0.72 3.7 3.6 4.5 5.76 242
TCE 24 *13.7 3.6 - - - -2.6 0.209 21.8
cis-1,2-DCE 11 6 1.1 - - - - - -NA NA
1,1-DCE 280 99.7 8.2 5.3 3.5 17 19.5 821
1,1,1 TCA 330 44.6 4.2 0.6 - -9.1 742 31,100
1,1-DCA 11 8.8 1.9 5 5.2 3 7.64 3349
All concentrations in microgram/Liter (µg/L).
* Sample collected 6/2001; all (8) subsequent results < 21.8 µg/L VISL.
FIGURES
Payne Road Solvents
NCN 000 409 881
Bessemer City,
Gaston County, NC
Site Reassessment
Figure 2: Site and
Nearby Features
[See detailed
descriptions below]
0 500 ft
Created by: Stuart F. Parker
NC DEQ, Superfund Section
March 24, 2022.
Basemap from County GisMeagan
DESCRIPTION OF SITE AND NEARBY FEATURES:
1) 105 –113 Payne Road:
Former metal finishing facility;
Groundwater: Chlorinated VOCs exceed MCL and other EPA Benchmarks;
Property connected to municipal water.
Subsurface Intrusion: Groundwater VOC results are < EPA Commercial Target Groundwater VISLs;
EPA test wells were dry to 40 feet below ground surface;
Soil sampling revealed only very localized VOC contamination.
2) 108 Payne Rd and 1413 Bessemer City/Kings Mtn Hwy:
Plastic Products (now closed); 2 Churches:
Groundwater: Chlorinated VOCs exceed MCL and other EPA Benchmarks;
Properties connected to municipal water.
Subsurface Intrusion: Groundwater VOC results are less than EPA Commercial Target Groundwater VISLs;
3)112 Payne Road:
Auto Repair/Body Shop;
Groundwater: Chlorinated VOCs vary relative to EPA Benchmarks but do not exceed MCLs;
Well not used for drinking due to contamination;
Subsurface Intrusion: Groundwater VOC results are less than Commercial Target Groundwater VISLs.
4) Duke Energy Fire Suppression Well:
Groundwater: Chlorinated VOCs exceed EPA Benchmarks but not MCLs;
Well not used for drinking;
Subsurface Intrusion: Groundwater VOC results are less than Commercial Target Groundwater VISLs.
5) 1365 Bessemer City/Kings Mtn Hwy:
Drive-in-Theatre, former MHP, one private home;
Groundwater: Monitoring from 1995 to 1998 and 2006; Intermittent chlorinated VOCs concentrations,
less than MCLs (PCE; 1,1-DCE; 1,1-DCA);
Subsurface Intrusion: Groundwater VOC results are less than Residential Target Groundwater VISLs.
6) 152 Payne Road:
Individual (farm) residence with well;
NCSF sampled well in September 2006;
No Chlorinated VOCs Detected.
7) Meagan Court, south of Payne Rd and farther ESE of site:
“Newer” residential development with private domestic wells;
Five wells sampled by EPA during June 2006 Removal Evaluation;
No Chlorinated VOCs Detected.
8) Residence on Payne Road East of Meagan Court:
Private well Sampled by EPA in June 2006;
No Chlorinated VOCs Detected.
9) Stinnet Acres MHP, South of Meagan Court:
Groundwater: Monitoring from 1995 to 1998 and sampling in 2006 detected
consistent Chlorinated VOCs less than MCLs (PCE; 1,1-DCE; 1,1-DCA);
MHP is now connected to municipal water;
Subsurface Intrusion: Groundwater VOC results were less than Residential Target Groundwater VISLs.
10) Subdivision South of Stinnet Acres MHP: Connected to municipal water (meters visible).