GROUNDWATER & REGULATORY SERVICES FOR FERTILIZER MANUFACTURING SITE
An Engineering Excellence Award-Winning Project

In the mid-‘70s, the State Division of Water Quality determined that CF Industries had released nitrogen into groundwater — impacting an adjacent swamp and contributing to algae growth in the Chowan River. CFI contained the groundwater. But when the plant was dismantled and the site capped in 1983, water levels began to rise, and the state required a remedy.

S&ME was retained by CFI. Our evaluation was that the groundwater would top its containment and overflow into the Chowan River. CFI had considered solutions with prohibitive million-dollar costs — constructing a more impervious cap; pumping water for on-site treatment; and building a 12-mile pipeline. Also, EPA said it would soon place the site on the Superfund List. S&ME's innovative design transported the groundwater (containing nitrogen) to nearby farmland for application as a crop nutrient. S&ME designed a 30 million gallon per year groundwater recovery and loading facility, as well as an enhanced surface drainage system. To our knowledge, this is the only program in the state that converts contaminated groundwater from an industrial and potential Superfund site into a beneficial, cost-free nutrient for the nearby farming community. Meanwhile, our persistent negotiations led to a shift from federal to state authority of the site — a first in North Carolina.

"S&ME’s outstanding technical capability, coupled with their high level of professionalism, efficiency and integrity guaranteed the success of this project in both a timely and cost-effective manner."

—Glenn T. Hall, Manager, Environmental Engineering
CF Industries