Staff Report
Published Aug. 3, 2012

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Emergency Response and Removal Branch today will join S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control staff in studying potential soil and air contamination in Columbia’s Edisto Court community.

Former Royster fertilizer site For more information about the investigation, click here.

The community is located opposite of the former fertilizer plant, the F.S. Royster Guano Co. The DHEC knows little about the plant, but research shows it made superphosphate fertilizer. The waste material from the fertilizer manufacturing process contained high levels of arsenic and lead.

In May, DHEC was notified that arsenic was found in the soils and groundwater on part of the former Royster property. Since then, DHEC has been monitoring nearby residential areas.

DHEC and the EPA branch will set up air monitoring in the area this week, and then go door-to-door to talk with residents about doing more detailed sampling in residential yards.

Sampling will take place today and Saturday as well as Tuesday and Wednesday of next week to sample as many residential yards as possible, DHEC said.

The data collected will be used to determine if any residential areas need soil removal, DHEC said.

In addition to soil testing, DHEC will have a drill rig in the community next week to collect soil cores to determine the depth of contamination. The drilling will start along the southern edge of the Edisto Court community near Commerce Drive and expand as necessary, DHEC said.