Hazardous waste landfill on shore of Lake Marion prepares for next phase

In 1978, when a former kitty litter clay stone mine on the northern shore of Lake Marion was repurposed as a hazardous waste dump, area residents expressed their deep concerns to state environmental officials.

Those worries intensified when the landfill’s operator, Safety-Kleen, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2000.

But, in hindsight, those fears appear to have been unfounded.

There has been no evidence that any hazardous waste has escaped into the air or water beyond the perimeter of the landfill, according to Robert A. Kerr Jr., a Mount Pleasant attorney.

Kerr is an officer and director of Pinewood Trustee Inc., a nonprofit corporation that was appointed to oversee and manage the closure and post-closure care of the landfill.

Approximately a dozen employees work at the 534-acre property, which is now known as the Pinewood Site.

Aided by computers, they track data from more than 200 wells and other environmental monitoring devices on the property.

They also perform maintenance and repairs as needed to the plumbing in the leachate collection and treatment system.

Several people involved in operating, managing, or regulating operations at the landfill provided information during a public awareness meeting at Furman Middle School in Sumter County on Thursday, Feb. 20.

The meeting was held during the time frame when the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services is receiving comments about the Pinewood Trustee’s application for a post-closure hazardous waste management permit.

About a dozen area residents showed up, reportedly including former state Sen. Phil Leventis.

The visitors were able to learn about the leachate collection and treatment system and the groundwater monitoring system at the landfill.

The attendees also had the opportunity to see – on a large map – the location of the landfill in relation to their homes. The landfill is off Camp Mac Boykin Road near Secondary Road 52 near the Rimini community.

Photos and drawings on display during the meeting showed how close the dump is to Lake Marion. That proximity was one of the factors that caused alarm when the landfill was proposed years ago.

But another chart on display identified a thick layer of clay between the waste pits and the lake. A lot of people are depending on that clay to prevent the waste – and the leachate – from migrating into the lake.

For how long? State regulators say the site must be “maintained and monitored until 2103.”

“There is no current removal method or process to safely remove the waste in the landfill,” according to the trustee’s website, www.thepinewoodsite.com.

The website also explains why – and how many – South Carolina tax dollars have to be spent to maintain and monitor the site.

“(The bankruptcy) settlement created two trusts: 1, the Pinewood Trust, created to fund operations and maintenance costs for the Site; and 2, the New Environmental Impairment Trust Fund, created to fund cleanup and restoration costs at the Site.

“The Trust also receives an annual appropriation from the South Carolina Legislature since the settlement with Safety-Kleen was not sufficient to cover all expenses of post-closure care.

“The costs of annual post-closure care average approximately $4.8 million. This annual cost pays for on-site contractors to operate and maintain the Site and leachate collection, treatment and disposal, environmental consultants for testing and preparing reports required by the Site’s permits, Trustee compensation, taxes, insurance and utilities.”

The draft permit and a fact sheet are posted online at des.sc.gov under the heading Environmental Public Notices. Information is also posted at www.thepinewoodsite.com

Written public comments will be accepted through April 4 and may include requests for SCDES to hold a formal public hearing on the permit application. Comments should be directed to Stacey French at stacey.french@des.sc.gov

Requests to be added to the mailing list for the Pinewood Site permitting process should be directed to Norma West at norma.west@des.sc.gov

French and West can be reached by mail at SCDES, 2600 Bull St., Columbia, SC 29201.