U.S. Water News Online
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- State regulators, county officials, and industry lawyers all blame each other for South Carolina's biggest pollution problem in years.
One of the state's longest trails of groundwater contamination lies at Red Bank Creek, as well as 12 miles of polluted creeks, 76 tainted wells, and ponds filled with toxic fish.
``This is probably one of the worst sites we are dealing with today from the standpoint of public exposure,'' said Keith Lindler, a hazardous waste cleanup expert with the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.
State regulators say Lexington County's lack of land-use planning put private wells in the path of industrial pollution. Officials contend that if Lexington had better zoning rules to separate homes from industries, many toxic chemicals from manufacturing plants might not have shown up in the area's water wells.
But county leaders say it is the state's job to prevent pollution. They say DHEC could have done more to protect wells and creeks from chemicals.
Industry lawyers, meanwhile, say their clients followed the rules laid out by the government. All told, eight companies are liable for the pollution, DHEC alleges in lawsuits and enforcement actions.
South Carolina regulators didn't fine or shut down at least one company that exceeded legal pollution discharge limits, according to DHEC files obtained by The (Columbia) State. Some industries ignored state pleas to clean up, public records show. Other documents show companies legally dumped chemicals into a leaky septic tank.
County planners also didn't zone the Red Bank area or regulate industries using toxic chemicals until long after the facilities opened.
As a result, central Lexington County faces decades of lingering contamination that has made the Red Bank area a focal point for water pollution. DHEC officials estimate that it could be 20 years or more before all the pollution breaks down or is cleaned up. Cleanup costs could run up to $20 million, state regulators say.
Red Bank's woes have received priority attention from state regulators. The area now is under consideration to become one of two dozen heavily polluted federal Superfund sites in South Carolina.
Red Bank's problems were caused by long-term industrial pollution -- primarily from the solvent trichloroethylene -- and an industrial spill into Red Bank Creek of organic tin compounds.
Tin Products Inc. makes the compounds. Before the incident, the company discharged its waste to the creek through public sewers and treatment.
The pollution has sparked concerns and lawsuits. State regulators have sued Litton Industries, Carolina Steel & Wire Co., Superior Container Service, Hoover Building Systems, and Safety-Kleen Corp. for the pollution.
And a group of 45 Lexington County residents sued the companies that DHEC says are responsible for the well contamination. In part, they're worried polluted water has contributed to illnesses. They want to establish a fund to pay for health problems from trichloroethylene in their wells.
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