The Technology Park has been used for more than 50 years for chemical research, development, and pilot plant operations. Concerns related to potential contamination at the site have been addressed by EPA and Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. No risks of human exposures to contaminants are expected under current use conditions and procedures of the facility.

The Technology Park site is listed by EPA as a RCRA Facility (EPA ID# WVD060682291) and is participating in the RCRA Corrective Action program. This program is described on the EPA web site:

"In 1980, when the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) law and regulations went into effect, thousands of facilities became subject to hazardous waste management regulations. These regulations helped to ensure that hazardous waste generated from ongoing industrial operations is properly managed and does not contribute to a future generation of toxic waste sites. However, many of these facilities had soil and groundwater contamination resulting from their waste management practices prior to 1980. The RCRA Corrective Action program addresses investigation and cleanup of past and present contamination at these operating industrial facilities."

UCC entered into a Facility Lead agreement with EPA in 1999 to address corrective action at the site. Under this type of agreement, the facility takes the lead in addressing corrective action, and EPA and the states oversee the activities through a review and approval process.

The Facility Lead agreement has been very successful, according to a presentation by EPA personnel.

Measurements at the site found that the groundwater contained the following contaminants at above risk-based concentrations (RBCs): benzene, bis(2-chloroisopropyl)ether, di-n-octyl phthalate, arsenic, barium, cadmium, and lead. The only contaminant detected in the soil above RBC was arsenic.

Potential exposure pathways to these contaminants have been minimized or eliminated by capping, regrading, reseeding, and installation of drainage ditch piping.

The only contaminant exposure risks to personnel have been determined to be for construction workers and/or Operation and Maintenance workers engaged in specific activities, such as sampling from monitoring wells. It is concluded that these potential exposures are controlled by formal health and safety procedures in place at the site.

The EPA issued documentation in 2003 verifying that potential human exposures to contaminants are under control.

Contaminated groundwater emanates from landfills on the site. The area and extent of contaminated groundwater are well-defined, and there are no discharges to surface water bodies. The EPA has concluded that the migration of contaminated groundwater has stabilized and is under control, and a document was issued in 2005 to verify this conclusion.

An update of the current progress at the site as of July 7, 2006 is available from EPA's web site.

The Technical Park has three sewer systems: “clean” sewer, sanitary sewer, and Process Sewer/Holz Impoundment decant line. The “clean” sewer network collects building and parking lot runoff and non-contact water such as cooling tower overflows for discharge to Davis Creek. The sanitary sewer network collects discharges from laboratories, restrooms, and some drum storage areas. Sanitary wastes are sent to the municipal side of the South Charleston Publicly Owned Treatment Works (SCPOTW) for treatment. The Holz decant line is used to transport LSPP (pilot plant) process wastewater and leachate from the Lower Ward Impoundment (Building 2000 Parking Lot) to the industrial side of the SCPOTW. During normal operations, wastewater is pumped into the decant line from the LSPP (Building 720 Pump Station) and from the Lower Ward Impoundment collection system (Building 730 Pump Station).

SWMUs are identified in the site’s Hazardous Waste Management (RCRA) Corrective Action Permit. The site has been working with the US Environmental Protection Agency through the voluntary corrective action program described above to assess the potential risk to the environment of the SWMUs. Collection/pumping of Lower Ward Impoundment Leachate, identified above as “wastewater,” is included in the list of SWMUs.

The Dow Chemical Company has a permit from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Division of Air Quality covering its air emissions at the site. The permit is issued to an owner/operator, and thus does not include other tenants operating at the site. However, minor emissions from tenant small-scale research and development activities are unlikely to require a permit. This determination will depend on the potential amount and identity of the material released to the air (e.g., Volatile Organic Chemicals, Hazardous Air Pollutants, Oxides of Nitrogen, Particulate Matter, etc.).

EPA: Current Human Exposures Under Control, 5/22/03    Document

EPA: Migration of Contaminated Groundwater Under Control, 8/25/05    Document

Facility Lead Corrective Action Opportunities with Union Carbide, RCRA National Meeting, May 2005     Document