CSXT Bramlett Road Site (aka Duke Power Manufactured Gas Plant)

Bramlett Road Public Meeting

DHEC will hold a public meeting on June 6, 2024,  at 6:00 PM to present DHEC’s Preferred Cleanup Plan to address contamination at the CSXT Bramlett Road Site, Greenville, South Carolina. The meeting will be held at Mountain View Baptist Church at 111 Cagle Street in Greenville, SC and will also be broadcast for those who wish to attend virtually. A link will be available on DHEC’s Webpage prior to the meeting.

Stream the Meeting Virtually
- Virtual Sign In Sheet
Public Meeting Presentation

Update - May 17, 2024

Duke Energy submitted the Revised Focused Feasibility Study in October 2023, DHEC approved the report in February 2024. DHEC uses EPA guidance to evaluate and compare cleanup alternatives. The criteria used in the evaluation process are protection of human health and the environment; compliance with regulatory standards; long-term and short- term effectiveness; reduction of contaminant toxicity, mobility and volume through treatment; implementability; and costs. The final criteria is community acceptance, which will be evaluated with DHEC’s Proposed Plan Public meeting and public comment period.  

DHEC’s Preferred Cleanup Alternative

The Focused Feasibility Study evaluated five (5) remedial alternatives. Two (2) were passive remedies and included a no action and monitored natural attenuation alternative. The no action alternative is included in every Focused Feasibility Study and used as a baseline for the other alternatives. The Focused Feasibility Study contained three (3) active remedies which all involve varying amounts of excavation and removal along with monitored natural attenuation and land use controls.  

DHEC’s Preferred Cleanup Alternative is Alternative 5: Excavation and Complete Removal of the Vaughn Landfill, Monitored Natural Attenuation, and Land Use Controls.

This option includes:

  • Excavation of the Vaughn Construction and Debris Landfill
  • Excavation of impacted sediments on the parcels south of Bramlett Road and the Legacy School Property
  • Monitored Natural Attenuation and Land Use Controls will be utilized to restrict development and groundwater use

DHEC is presenting its Proposed Plan for the CSXT Bramlett site in a public meeting on June 6, 2024, at the Mountain View Baptist Church at 111 Cagle Street in Greenville, SC. The meeting will also be broadcast for those who wish to attend virtually. A link will be available on DHEC’s Webpage prior to the meeting. The proposed plan is available in the Historical Documents below for your review along with all the documents that were used to get to this decision.  

DHEC will accept written comments on the Proposed Plan during a public comment period which will run from June 6, 2024, until August 6, 2024. The Department may modify the Preferred Alternative or select another response action presented in the Proposed Plan based on new information or public comments. Therefore, the public is encouraged to review and comment on all the alternatives presented in the Proposed Plan.

Please submit your written comments to:

Greg Cassidy, Project Manager
DHEC’s Bureau of Land & Waste Management
2600 Bull Street
Columbia, SC 29201
cassidga@dhec.sc.gov


Overview

The CSXT Bramlett Road Site (Site) consists of five parcels in Greenville, South Carolina, including the former location of a Duke Power Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP), which covers 3.69 acres and is located at 400 South Bramlett Road, and a seven-acre unpermitted construction and demolition debris landfill (a/k/a Vaughn Landfill) downgradient of the former MGP property. The current owner of the landfill, the MGP, and other three parcels is CSX Transportation, Inc. (CSXT).

In 1917, Southern Public Utilities originally developed the manufactured gas plant. Ownership of the MGP transferred to Duke Power Company in 1939. The plant ceased operation in 1951 and the above-ground structures were demolished in the late 1950s. In 1997, Duke Power Company changed its name to Duke Energy Corporation, in September 2006, converted to Duke Power Company, LLC, and in October of 2006, changed its name to Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC. (hereinafter generally referred to as "Duke")

Manufactured gas was the predecessor to natural gas and was used to provide gas for lighting, heating, and cooking for the City of Greenville. The Duke Power MGP produced gas using the coal gasification process. This process resulted in the creation of a tar-like waste material that was often discharged to nearby ditches or surface water bodies. Coal tar waste from the Duke Power MGP was discharged into several ditches and eventually migrated across Bramlett Road to a property where, in 1988, an unpermitted landfill was located on the property 800 feet west of the intersection of Bramlett Road and West Washington Street, on the south side of Bramlett Road. The landfill is approximately six feet in depth and covers approximately seven acres. Waste from the MGP is present beneath the landfill.

Assessments

Duke conducted several investigations to assess the nature and extent of contamination at the Site. In 2002, Duke removed 61,000 tons of material from the former MGP property and replaced it with clean soil. Soil was excavated to a depth of three to six feet across the majority of the former MGP property.

Voluntary Cleanup Contract

On July 29, 2016, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (Duke) entered into Voluntary Cleanup Contract 16-5857-RP (VCC) with DHEC. Under the VCC, Duke will conduct an environment investigation of the Site and will evaluate alternatives for addressing the remaining contamination. The Groundwater Remedial Investigation began in 2017. Following that initial investigation, it was determined that additional investigation was needed. In 2018, an Addendum to the Groundwater Remedial Investigation was approved and completed. Data from the Addendum showed that a third phase of Groundwater Remedial Investigation was necessary. An additional Remedial Investigation Work Plan Addendum was submitted and approved by DHEC in July 2019. Duke Energy submitted the Remedial Investigation Report in June 2020.  DHEC approved the Remedial Investigation Report in September 2020.  

It was determined that additional investigation was needed to evaluate the former stormwater conveyance ditches. Duke Energy submitted a Remedial Investigation Work Plan Addendum in September 2020 which was approved by DHEC. Along with the additional remedial investigation work, Duke submitted plans to conduct aquifer performance testing (November 2020), forensic analysis of non-aqueous phase liquids in sediment and soil samples (December 2020), and to provide interim best management practices in the ditches and the outfall (March 2021).  Duke Energy submitted the Remedial Investigation Report Addendum in late July 2021. The Remedial Investigation Report Addendum was approved by DHEC in January 2022. Duke Energy submitted a Feasibility Study Work Plan in August 2022. The Feasibility Study Work Plan was approved in November 2022.  

Historical Documents

Below are historical documents relating to the previous investigations of the Site. These documents include work plans, investigation activities, remedial action plans, and other key documents. If you are interested in documents that appear on the Index but are not listed below, please contact the Department.

Date Description
2024-05-17 June 6, 2024 Public Meeting Fact Sheet
2024-05-17 Proposed Plan
2024-02-20 DHEC's Approval of Focused Feasibility Study, Revision 1
October 2023 Focused Feasibility Study, Revision 1
2023-05-18 DHEC's Approval of Semi-annual Monitoring Report #7
2023-05-17 Semi-annual Monitoring Report #7
2023-01-11 DHEC’s approval of the Semiannual Monitoring Report
2023-01-03 Duke’s Semi-annual Monitoring Report Appendix B/Lab Reports
2023-01-03 Duke’s Semi-annual Monitoring Report plus Appendices A, C, & D
2022-11-27 DHEC’s review of the Feasibility Study Work Plan
2022-10-19 DHEC's Approval of Quarterly Progress Report 3rd Quarter 2022
2022-10-14 Quarterly Progress Report 3rd Quarter 2022
2022-08-19 Feasibility Study Work Plan
2022-08-10 DHEC Request for Feasibility Study Work Plan
2022-07-14 DHEC's Approval of Quarterly Progress Report 2nd Quarter 2022
2022-07-07 Quarterly Progress Report 2nd Quarter 2022
2022-04-27 DHEC's Approval of Quarterly Progress Report 1st Quarter 2022
2022-04-15 Quarterly Progress Report 1st Quarter 2022
2022-03-21 DHEC's Approval of Duke's Semi-Annual Monitoring Report - Event 4
2022-03-15 Duke's Semi-Annual Monitoring Report - Event 4
2022-01-31 DHEC's Mountain View Baptist Church Neighborhood Soil Sampling Report
2022-01-27 DHEC's Approval of Remedial Investigation Report Addendum
2022-01-18 DHEC's Approval of Quarterly Progress Report 4th Quarter 2021
2022-01-15 Quarterly Progress Report 4th Quarter 2021
2022-01-06 DHEC's Approval of Semiannual Monitoring Report (Quarter 1 & Quarter 2 2021)
2021-12-17 Interim Surface Water Best Management Practice Construction Completion Report
2021-10-21 DHEC's Approval of Quarterly Progress Report 3rd Quarter 2021
2021-10-15 Quarterly Progress Report 3rd Quarter 2021
2021-09-01 Semiannual Monitoring Report (Quarter 1 & Quarter 2 2021)
2021-07-30 Remedial Investigation Report Addendum - Appendices available by request.
2021-07-19 DHEC's Approval of Quarterly Progress Report 2nd Quarter 2021
2021-07-12 Quarterly Progress Report 2nd Quarter 2021
2021-04-15 DHEC's Approval of Quarterly Progress Report 1st Quarter 2021
2021-04-14 Quarterly Progress Report 1st Quarter 2021
2021-03-30 DHEC Approval of Interim Surface Water Best Management Practice Work Plan
2021-03-26 Interim Surface Water Best Management Practice Work Plan
2021-03 Mountain View Baptist Church Area Soil Sampling Fact Sheet
2021-01-20 DHEC's Approval of Quarterly Progress Report 4th Quarter 2020
2021-01-19 Quarterly Progress Report 4th Quarter 2020
2021-01-12 DHEC's Approval of Forensics Analysis
2020-12-28 Forensics Analysis of NAPL, Sediment, and Soil from the Former Bramlette MGP Site and Surrounding Areas
2020-11-17 DHEC's Approval of Aquifer Performance Test Work Plan
DHEC's Monitoring Well Approval
2020-11-02 Aquifer Performance Test Work Plan 
2020-10-26 Quarterly Progress Report 3rd Quarter 2020
2020-09-01 DHEC's approval of the Remedial Investigation Report 
2020-09-01 DHEC's approval of the Remedial Investigation Work Plan Addendum (Storm Water Ditch Assessment) 
2020-08-27 Duke's Remedial Investigation Work Plan Addendum - Storm Water Ditch Assessment
2020-07-22 DHEC's Review of Quarterly Progress Report 2nd Quarter 2020
2020-07-22 Quarterly Progress Report 2nd Quarter 2020
2020-06-09

Remedial Investigation Report
Because this document is so large, it had to be divided into zipped folders. Please download ALL parts before attempting to unzip.

2020-04-09 DHEC's Review of Quarterly Progress Report 1st Quarter 2020
2020-04-09 Quarterly Progress Report 1st Quarter 2020
2020-01-31 DHEC's Review of Quarterly Progress Report 4th Quarter 2019
2020-01-15 Quarterly Progress Report 4th Quarter 2019
2019-10-23 DHEC's Review of Quarterly Progress Report 3rd Quarter 2019
2019-10-15 Quarterly Progress Report 3rd Quarter 2019
2019-08-06 DHEC's Review of Remedial Investigation Work Plan Addendum
2019-07-23 DHEC's Review of Quarterly Progress Report 2nd Quarter 2019
2019-07-15 Quarterly Progress Report 2nd Quarter 2019
2019-07-07 Remedial Investigation Work Plan Addendum Monitoring Well
2019-07-03 Remedial Investigation Work Plan Addendum
2019-04-24 DHEC's Review of Quarterly Progress Report 1st Quarter 2019
2019-04-15 Quarterly Progress Report 1st Quarter 2019
2019-01-15 Quarterly Progress Report 4th Quarter 2018
2018-04-13 Groundwater Remedial Investigation Work Plan Addendum
2017-02-20 Groundwater Monitoring Report November 2016
2016-11-14 Groundwater Remedial Investigation Work Plan
2016-09-19 Notice of Community Meeting 10-4-16
2016-08-01 Executed VCC 16-5857-RP
2010-06-10 Groundwater Monitoring Report
2010-03-04 Corrective Action Plan
2009-01-16 Groundwater Continuous Action Plan
2003-06-09 Remedial Action Plan Final Report—Volume 2
2003-06-09 Remedial Action Plan Final Report—Volume 1
2000-09-14 Remedial Action Plan
2000-06-30 Investigation & Site Assessment Report—Phase III, Volume 2
2000-06-30 Investigation & Site Assessment Report—Phase III, Volume 1
1997-03-21 Workplan--Phase III
1996-09-03 Site Investigation—Phase II
1996-08-17 Site Investigation: Soil Sediment & Groundwater Sampling
1995-08-01 Workplan: Site Investigation and Monitoring Well Installations
1994-10-01 Workplan: Soil Sediment & Groundwater Sampling

Mailing List

Anyone interested in receiving updates may contact Elisa Vincent at 803-898-0840 or via email vincenef@dhec.sc.gov. If you have received information directly from DHEC, you are already on the Site's mailing list.

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Pollution Sites of Interest