Clayton County’s 7 most toxic sites

by Robin Kemp

Clayton County has seven sites listed on the Georgia Department of Environmental Quality’s Hazardous Site Inventory. Every July, Georgia EPD puts out an updated list. The 2020 list shows ten parcels (one of which was sublisted with another larger parcel) totaling 543.379 acres.

Here’s a map of those sites. Use the plus sign in the lower left of the map to zoom in. Click on the factory icons in the red circles for more information about each site:

Are some sites worse than others?

Georgia EPD prioritizes remediation for each site on a scale of one to five, with one being the highest priority. Here’s how Georgia EPD defines what each level means:

Class I (highest priority)

• known human exposure to regulated substances
• sources of continuing releases
• causing serious environmental problems

According to Georgia EPD, “Persons responsible for these sites are required to perform corrective action and put a notice in the deed to their property. If a responsible party fails to perform corrective action as required, EPD may use the state hazardous waste trust fund to clean up the site and then recover the cost of the cleanup from the responsible party later.”

Class II

• Further site evaluation is necessary before EPD decides whether corrective action is needed

“Persons responsible for Class II sites are given an opportunity to voluntarily investigate and clean up their site and report their findings to EPD. The site is either removed from the HSI or reclassified as Class I, III, or IV based on whether it meets clean-up standards. While classified as Class II, sites are not designated as needing corrective action, so property owners do not immediately have to place notices on deeds and other property records. If a responsible party at a Class II site fails to do the required investigation, the site priority can be upgraded to Class I.”

Class III

• Do not meet residential clean-up standards
• Do meet alternative clean-up standards
• Need corrective action
• May require continued monitoring to ensure appropriate standards are met
• Require further correction before residential use allowed

“Property owners are required to make the same deed notices as apply to Class I sites….Class III sites that meet the non-residential standards (Types 3 and 4) will be removed from the HSI once the property owner has filed a deed notice. Land use at sites that meet only the Type 5 standards is restricted, and the responsible party must provide long term monitoring and maintenance of the site. Restrictions are typically described in an environmental covenant and a listing of ECs is available at http://epd.georgia.gov/uniform-environmental-covenants.

Class IV

• Corrective action already underway or completed under another federal or state authority
• Presumed to be in compliance with Type 5 clean-up standards
• Designated as needing corrective action
• Remains on the Hazardous Sites Index

“(T)he property owner is required to file deed notices. If it is ever determined that the corrective action at a Class IV site does not protect human health or the environment, then the site may be redesignated from Class IV to Class I. If it can be certified that the site meets one of the other clean-up standards, it can be reclassified and may be removed from the HSI.”

Class V

• Site has a known release
• Requires corrective action and is not in compliance
• Corrective action is being taken in compliance with a corrective action plan approved by EPD’s director
• Corrective action will bring the site into compliance with the risk reduction standards

Getting off the list

Georgia EPD says it may remove a site from the HSI list “if applicable clean-up standards are met” or “if EPD determines that a release exceeding a reportable quantity had not occurred at the time of the site’s listing on the HSI.”

The highest-priority hazardous site in Clayton County is the Southeast Burial Site at Fort Gillem. Georgia EPD says, “Investigations are being conducted to determine how much cleanup is necessary for source materials and soil. Cleanup activities are being conducted for groundwater.”

Regulated substances that were released into groundwater, which EPD says threaten human health and the environment, include:

• 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane
• 1,1-dichloroethene
• tetrachloroethene
• trichloroethene
• 1,1,2-trichloroethane
• cis-1,2-dichloroethene
• trans-1,2-dichloroethene
• vinyl chloride

At the Fort Gillem North Landfill Site, Georgia EPD says “Cleanup activities are being conducted for source materials and groundwater.” High levels of vinyl chloride are present in the groundwater, according to the state: “This site has a known release of vinyl chloride in groundwater at levels exceeding the reportable quantity. This release has resulted in known human exposure greater than or equal to the MCL for vinyl chloride.”

Numerous substances were found in the groundwater:

Lead, arsenic, chloroform, and trichloroethene were found in the soil.

At the Lovejoy site, Georgia EPD says, “Cleanup activities are being conducted for source materials and groundwater.” According to EPD, “This site has a known release of vinyl chloride in groundwater at levels exceeding the reportable quantity. No human exposure via drinking water is suspected from this release. The nearest drinking water well is less than 0.5 miles from the area affected by the release.”

Regulated substances found in the groundwater include:

• 1,1-dichloroethane
• copper
• mercury
• trichloroethene
• cis-1,2-dichloroethene
• mercury
• toluene
• vinyl chloride

At the Rolling Hills Landfill in College Park, Georgia EPD says that “Cleanup activities are being conducted for source materials and groundwater.” Here, as well, “This site has a known release of vinyl chloride in groundwater at levels exceeding the reportable quantity. No human exposure via drinking water is suspected from this release. The nearest drinking water well is between 2 and 3 miles from the area affected by the release.”

Regulated substances found in the groundwater include:

• 1,1-dichloroethane
• barium
• chlorobenzene
• mercury
• p-dichlorobenzene
• 1,2-dichlorobenzene
• benzene
• cis-1,2-dichloroethene
• vinyl chloride

Regulated substances found in the ground include:

• acetaldehyde
• barium
• acetone
• nickel

At the Pavilion Cleaners site, Georgia EPD says, “Hazardous Site Response Act cleanup levels have been met for source materials and soil. Cleanup activities are being conducted for groundwater.” The site “has a known release of tetrachloroethene in groundwater at levels exceeding the reportable quantity. No human exposure via drinking water is suspected from this release. The nearest drinking water well is between 0.5 and 1 miles from the area affected by the release.”

The regulated substance noted in the groundwater was tetrachloroethene, which also was found in the soil. Dichlorobromomethane and methyl chloride also have contaminated the soil, according to EPD.

At Tara Shopping Center, “Cleanup activities are being conducted for source materials and groundwater. Hazardous Site Response Act cleanup levels have been met for soil through institutional and engineering controls to eliminate or reduce present and future threats to human health and the environment.” The contamination was caused by a drycleaning business.

Georgia EPD said that Al-Karim Partnership, noted as ” fmr Dunkin Donuts,” was also affected on April 26, 2005, and that “the property should be sublisted as part of this site.” According to EPD, “This site has a known release of tetrachloroethene in groundwater at levels exceeding the reportable quantity. No human exposure via drinking water is suspected from this release. The nearest drinking water well is less than 0.5 miles from the area affected by the release.”

Regulated substances found in both groundwater and soil include:

• cis-1,2-dichloroethene
• trichloroethene
• tetrachloroethene

At the Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse site, Georgia EPD says, “Hazardous Site Response Act cleanup levels have been met for source materials and soil. Cleanup activities are being conducted for groundwater.” According to EPD, the site has excessive lead levels in both the groundwater and the soil. While “no human exposure via drinking water is suspected” from the July 19, 2005 release, the nearest drinking water well is less than half a mile away, “(t)his site has unlimited access,” and “(t)he nearest resident individual is less than 300 feet from the area affected by the release.”

Regulated substances found only in the groundwater include:

• arsenic
• benzene
• chloroform
• cis-1,2-dichloroethene
• xylenes
• cadmium

Regulated substances found in both groundwater and soil include:

• ethylbenzene
• nickel
• barium
• chromium
• copper
• lead
• tetrachloroethene
• zinc

How can I stay safe?

First, know that groundwater contamination may not necessarily affect your drinking water supply. If your water comes from the Clayton County Water Authority, it will be safer than well water near a hazardous site. Older residents may recall when representatives of Fort Gillem paid to get nearby residents with wells on county water after they learned toxic chemicals had contaminated groundwater plumes that traveled beneath the fence and into some adjoining neighborhoods.

If you still have concerns, you can purchase bottled water or filter your drinking water using a pitcher (like Pur or Brita, for example). Read the label on replacement filters because some remove more impurities than others. Another option is a whole-house reverse osmosis kit. Reverse osmosis forces the water through a barrier with microscopic holes to screen out contaminants.

If you have any doubts about your soil, consider planting in containers or raised beds. Before excavating large areas of your yard, do some research.

You also can contact your elected officials and ask them to help. Their job is to represent you and to solve problems in the community. Look them up here by entering your address and zip code: https://bit.ly/2SATpkS

What businesses near your home might emit contaminants? Check to see whether they have had any reported chemical spills or permit issues at Georgia EPD’s GEOS page (shortlink: tiny.cc/GEOS). You also can see who has applied for various permits and the conditions attached to ownership of various sites.

If you know of a possible hazardous site, please let us know. You can message Robin Kemp on the encrypted Signal app.

If you value our reporting, please consider making a tax-deductible donation at
donorbox.org/clayton-crescent.
Your generous support, whether as a recurring monthly autodebit or a one-time gift,
helps us bring you the coverage you deserve.
The Clayton Crescent thanks you for your support!