Joslyn Clark Controls

Overview/Site History 

The former Joslyn Clark Controls facility (site) is located at 2013 West Meeting Street in Lancaster, South Carolina, approximately three miles west of downtown Lancaster. The property includes twenty-three acres of land and two buildings. The manufacturing building was constructed in 1964 and consists of approximately 180,000 square feet of floor space. The second building is a small storage building. 

The site was used to manufacture electrical control equipment for fire safety purposes from 1964 until 2009 when operations ceased. The property was vacant from 2009 until 2016 when it was purchased by Makrochem. The site is currently used to transfer carbon black from bulk quantities (e.g., railcars and tankers) to smaller quantities (e.g., super sacks) for warehousing and subsequent distribution to offsite locations. Carbon black is used as a pigment, UV stabilizer, and conductive or insulating agent in a variety of rubber, plastic, ink, or coating operations.  

Soil and Groundwater Contamination 

Soil samples were taken to evaluate eight potential source areas. From these samples, trichloroethylene (TCE) was found near the former metal plating area, former degreasing operation, and the former hazardous waste storage shed.  

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) have also been found in groundwater at the site, originating in the northwest portion of the manufacturing building and extending towards the southern property boundary.  The source of this contamination is likely the paint booth and sump area formerly located in the building.   

In May 2020, groundwater sampling indicated TCE in the shallow saprolite aquifer extending almost to the downgradient property boundary. However, the TCE plume within the fractured bedrock extends approximately 400 feet south of the property boundary onto an undeveloped parcel of land.  

DHEC provides oversight in all investigation, assessment, and cleanup activities at this site. 

DHEC’s Preferred Cleanup Alternative 

DHEC has completed an evaluation of cleanup alternatives to address soil and groundwater contamination at the Site and has selected In-Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) as the preferred alternative.  

ISCO would involve the injection of sodium permanganate solution into the aquifer. The oxidant solution will react with any organic compounds encountered and destroy or chemically transform the contaminants. With ISCO, contaminants are typically transformed into carbon dioxide and water. Multiple injections would occur over a five to six-year period. 

A pilot test was conducted at the site using ISCO. The pilot was considered successful, achieving a 90% reduction in contamination with limited recurrence over a five-year period.  As DHEC’s preferred cleanup alternative, ISCO is expected to reduce  contamination up to 90% by the end of the active remediation period.  Long-term groundwater monitoring would be conducted, and restrictions would be placed on the use of groundwater at the site. Remediating the groundwater contaminants to below Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would take 10 years or more using ISCO.  

The estimated cost for Joslyn Clark to implement ISCO is $1.1 million. 

Administrative Record 

The Administrative Record includes historic and recent documents used by DHEC in its oversight role. This information can be found in the local Lancaster County Library. The documents are also provided below for convenient access by those who are interested in learning more about the site. 

Community Engagement 

DHEC will accept comments on the Proposed Plan and cleanup alternatives through October 15, 2021.  In preparation of submitting comments, interested persons are encouraged to watch the presentation below and review the Proposed Plan and other information in DHEC’s Administrative Record is also available on this web page.     

The DHEC presentation below provides: 

  • a brief history of the site;  
  • an overview of the Proposed Plan;  
  • the cleanup alternatives evaluated by DHEC; and 
  • DHEC’s preferred alternative for site cleanup.   

For additional information or to discuss the site in more detail, please contact: 

Greg Cassidy, Project Manager 
Phone: (803) 898-0910 
Email: cassidga@dhec.sc.gov 

Written comments or requests for a public meeting should be addressed to: 
Greg Cassidy, Project Manager 
SC DHEC - BLWM 
2600 Bull Street 
Columbia, SC 29201 
Email: cassidga@dhec.sc.gov