All News Releases By Date

EPA announces the availability of the removal administrative record for the HoltraChem Removal Site in Riegelwood, North Carolina

Release Date: 02/16/2005
Contact Information:

The United States Environmental Protection Agency announced today that the Administrative Record for the HoltraChem Removal Site in Riegelwood, Columbus County, North Carolina is available for public review.

The Administrative Record file includes documents that form the basis for selection of the removal action.  A removal is a short-term cleanup intended to stabilize or clean up a site that poses an imminent and substantial threat to human health or the environment.  Documents in the record may include but are not limited to preliminary assessment and inspection reports, test results, and the Action Memorandum.  All interested persons are encouraged to review and comment on the documents.

The documents will be available for public review during normal business hours at the following location:

East Columbus Public Library
100 Hwy 87
Riegelwood, NC 28456
Attn: Robin Creech

U.S. EPA Records Center - Region 4
Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center - 11^th Floor
61 Forsyth Street, SW
Atlanta, GA 30303-3104
Attn: Debbie Jourdan

EPA will accept comments regarding the Administrative Record during the public comment period which begins on February 18, 2005 and ends on March 18, 2005.  Comments should be addressed to Jim Webster, Federal On-Scene Coordinator, U.S. EPA Region 4, ERRB, 11^th Floor, 61 Forsyth Street, SW., Atlanta, GA 30303-3104.  At the end of the 30-day comment period, a written response to all pertinent comments will be prepared in a responsiveness summary and placed in the file.

The HoltraChem Site is located at 636 John L. Riegel Road in an industrial area in Riegelwood, a suburb of Wilmington, North Carolina. The Site is roughly a 26-acre facility with a number of buildings, warehouses, ponds, and disposal areas. The site is located directly on the Cape Fear River and bordered on 3 sides by the International Paper Co. The site is a former chlor-alkali manufacturing facility that produced chlorine and other products using the mercury cell process. Widespread mercury contamination has been identified in both surface and subsurface soils, wastewater ponds, and buildings.

-0-        February 16, 2005

CONTACT: Dawn Harris-Young, EPA Media Relations, 404-562-8421