The Magnolia Development
The Magnolia Development project team received an Excellence in Site Reuse Award from the US EPA in 2023. These awards are given to project teams who have demonstrated excellence in working cooperatively with the EPA to ensure that the reuse of a federal facility site complements the type of cleanup actions taken.
The Magnolia Development is a 182-acre brownfield site located on the banks of the Ashley River in Charleston, South Carolina. Highland Resources, Inc. (Highland) acquired the property in 2018. The City of Charleston (City) designated the Magnolia Development as a Planned Unit Development (PUD) to support redevelopment.
The historical use of the property included a wood treatment plant known as the Koppers Superfund Site and superphosphate fertilizer manufacturing plants known as the Ashepoo Phosphate Site and Columbia Nitrogen Site. Subsequent operations on the property included various industrial uses such as chemical tank cleaning, military ship repair, and refurbishing operations, cotton seed oil manufacturing, steel fabrication, storage and transfer of carbon black and petroleum-rich coke, City fueling and maintenance shops for the public service and sanitation departments, City fire-training facilities, trucking operations and container storage, and others.
The Koppers Superfund Site was listed on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) National Priority List (NPL) in 1994. HR Charleston VII, LLC is conducting remedial activities presented in the 2018 USEPA Record of Decision (ROD) Amendment and will acquire the Koppers Superfund site from escrow under a non-responsible party (NRP) Voluntary Cleanup Contract (VCC) with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) prior to taking title to the Koppers Superfund Site. S&ME assists the design team by conducting environmental consulting, geotechnical engineering, and construction materials testing services associated with deleting the majority of the Koppers Superfund Site from the NPL and preparing the site for redevelopment.
The Ashepoo Phosphate Site was investigated by the responsible party under an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) issued by the USEPA in the 1990s and subsequently under monitored natural attenuation (MNA) by SCDHEC oversight. Various NRPs subsequently conducted environmental assessment and remedial activities on the Ashepoo Phosphate Site. HR Charleston III, LLC entered into an NRP VCC with SCDHEC prior to purchasing the property. S&ME provided environmental consulting, geotechnical engineering, and construction materials testing to assist the owner with redevelopment.
The Columbia Nitrogen Site is subject to a USEPA Unilateral Administrative Order (UAO) for a Non-Time Critical Removal Action (NTCRA). HR Charleston II, LLC entered into an NRP VCC with the SCDHEC prior to purchasing the Columbia Nitrogen Site in 2018. At the time of purchase, the Columbia Nitrogen Site was subject to a federal lien and the subject of litigation by numerous parties. S&ME conducted response actions required by the VCC for the owner. We also provided environmental consulting, geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, and special inspection services for Highland’s Charleston office that was constructed on the Columbia Nitrogen Site.
Environmental services included: Phase I Environmental Site Assessments; soil and groundwater assessments; borrow pit characterizations; disposal characterizations, profiling, and manifesting; asbestos and lead-based paint assessment; monitoring well abandonments and reporting; groundwater modeling; geophysical survey; significant industrial wastewater discharge permitting and monitoring; preparation of work plans, corrective measures plans, environmental media management plans, and stewardship plans; coordination, meetings, and approvals with/from the USEPA and SCDHEC; preparation of presentations and meetings with local utility providers. Geotechnical engineering services and construction materials testing services were also provided.