NC0002374445_20230401_Hemphill Road TCE_ Hemphill Rd TCE RA Fact Sheet

HEMPHILL ROAD TCE REMEDIAL ACTION FACT SHEET 1

APRIL– 2023

REMEDIAL ACTION FACT SHEET
HEMPHILL ROAD TCE SITE
GASTONIA, NC / REGION 4
Introduction
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is
excited to announce the remedial action at the
Hemphill Road TCE Site (Site) will begin in late
April 2023. The Site’s remedial action has been
funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
(BIL). The BIL invests $3.5 billion in environmental
remediation at Superfund National Priorities List
(NPL) sites. The first wave of funding will allow the
EPA to initiate work at all 49 Superfund sites with
backlogged remedial construction projects in 24
states and territories and accelerate cleanups at
dozens of other sites across the country. BIL
funding will be used at this site to complete the
groundwater and soil cleanup, municipal waterline
extension, and placement of institutional controls
(ICs).
Remedial Action
The remedial action selected for the Site is in-situ
chemical oxidation (ISCO) of the soil and
groundwater, installation of a municipal water line
which will be connected to 8 affected properties,
and placement of institutional controls (ICs), which
are administrative or legal controls that limit land or
resource use to minimize or prevent exposure to
contamination that may remain.
ISCO is a method that uses chemicals called
oxidants to help change harmful contaminants into
less toxic ones. It is conducted in one place,
without having to excavate soil or pump out
groundwater for aboveground cleanup. In this
method, oxidants are pumped down wells and
spreads into the surrounding soil and groundwater,
where it mixes and reacts with contaminants.The
ISCO remedy will begin in spring 2023. The
community can expect to see drill rigs and trucks
driving through the area to complete the cleanup at
the Site.
The municipal water line extension is under design.
The EPA will issue another fact sheet when the
design is complete and EPA is ready to begin
construction of the water line. The EPA is also in
the process of preparing and implementing the ICs.
Upcoming Work in Your
Neighborhood
The EPA will be working on a groundwater and soil
cleanup in your area starting the week of April 24,
2023 and continuing through September 2023. This
work will include taking samples, installing new
wells, and injecting oxidants to clean up the soil
and groundwater. The work will take place at 5009
Hemphill Road in Gastonia, NC.

For More Site-Related Information:
www.epa.gov/superfund/hemphill-road-tce
Pictured is a drill rig and soil taken from the drill
core for sampling.
HEMPHILL ROAD TCE REMEDIAL ACTION FACT SHEET 2

Site Background
The 15-acre Site is in south Gastonia, North
Carolina in a mixed residential, commercial, and
industrial district in the southern part of Gaston
County. During the 1950s, a former owner emptied
the liquid chemical contents of drums onto a portion
of the property in order to recycle the drums for
scrap metal. In 1988, the hazardous substance
trichloroethylene (TCE) was discovered in a private
drinking water well on Hemphill Road. TCE was
later found in more drinking water wells.
In 2013, the EPA placed the Site on the NPL
because of contaminated groundwater that has
affected private and community drinking water
supplies. Between 2013 and 2018, the EPA,
working with North Carolina Department of
Environmental Quality and the Gaston County
Health Department, conducted numerous
investigations to determine the extent of the
contamination and develop a cleanup plan to
address the soil and groundwater contamination at
the Site. The Interim Record of Decision, signed on
September 2018, documents this cleanup plan, or
remedial action.
Information Repositories
EPA keeps site project information and reference materials for the public to read at local
information repositories. Copies of cleanup documents for the Hemphill Road TCE Site are
available at the locations below. You may also access cleanup documents on EPA’s website at
www.epa.gov/superfund/hemphill-road-tce.

Gaston County Public Library
1555 East Garrison Boulevard
Gastonia, NC 28054
[phone]
http://gastonlibrary.org

Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Wednesday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday &Saturday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Contact Information
Zariah Lewis, EPA
Community Involvement Coordinator
[phone]
[e-mail]
Donna Seadler, EPA
Remedial Project Manager
[phone]
[e-mail]