Hazardous waste landfill on shore of Lake Marion topic of public info session

Information will be provided on proposed future activities at a hazardous solid waste landfill built on the edge of the lake.

In years past the dump was owned by GSX, then Laidlaw, and then Safety-Kleen, which stopped accepting materials at the landfill and filed for bankruptcy protection in 2000.

The bankruptcy settlement established a trust to oversee the maintenance and inspection of what is now called the Pinewood Site, at a cost of about $4.7 million a year. A portion of that expense is borne by the state’s taxpayers.

The Pinewood Site Custodial Trust has applied for a renewal of a hazardous waste management permit. The draft permit contains conditions for:

• Post-closure care of the three closed hazardous waste landfill units.
• Collection and on-site treatment of landfill leachate as a remediation waste.
• Identification of solid waste management units and areas of concern and corrective action for those units, if needed.

The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (DES) Division of Waste Management, Bureau of Land and Waste Management has completed its review of the application.

DES will provide details of the application and the draft permit during a “public availability session” on Thursday, Feb. 20, at 6 p.m. at Furman Middle School, 3400 Bethel Church Road, south of Sumter.

One way to get there from Orangeburg County: Take Interstate 95 north. Exit to Summerton. Follow U.S. 15 north, then turn left on Bethel Church Road.

Interested parties who cannot attend the session can view the draft permit and a fact sheet on the SCDES website under the heading Environmental Public Notices. Information is also posted at www.thepinewoodsite.com.

Written comments will be accepted through April 4 and may include requests for DES to hold a public hearing on the matter. Comments should be addressed to Stacey French, SCDES, 2600 Bull St., Columbia, SC 29201, or stacey.french@des.sc.gov.

Requests to be added to the mailing list for the Pinewood Site permitting process should be addressed to Norma West at SCDES, 2600 Bull St., Columbia, SC 29201, 803-898-0244, or norma.west@des.sc.gov.