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Delavan Spray Technologies Public Meeting

The SC Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) is holding a public meeting to discuss the environmental contamination cleanup of the Delavan Spray Technologies Site located in Bamberg, SC. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on February 5, 2026, at the Bamberg County Public Library, located at 3156 E. Railroad Avenue, Bamberg, SC. At this meeting, SCDES will present a summary of the alternatives evaluated for cleanup, including SCDES’s preferred alternative. 

Questions and comments on the proposed cleanup will be accepted at the meeting and in writing through April 1, 2026.  Comments can be mailed to Genevieve Keller-Milliken at 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, SC 29201 or emailed at Genevieve.kellermilliken@des.sc.gov. SCDES will select a final cleanup alternative after review and consideration of all comments received.   


Site History

The Delavan Spray Technologies Site (the Site) is located at 4334 Main Highway, approximately 1 mile south-southwest of the city of Bamberg, in Bamberg County, South Carolina. The Site includes approximately 140 acres, consisting of the Delavan Spray Technologies Facility property of approximately 20 acres, (on-site) and private properties of the remaining approximately 120 acres (off-site). The land surrounding the Site includes agricultural, residential, undeveloped, and rural properties.

The Site was undeveloped prior to development by Delavan Spray Technologies in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Operations at the facility primarily consist of the manufacturing of fuel metering equipment and spray nozzles. The manufacturing operations have remained the same over the years while ownership of the facility changed from Delavan Corporation (early 1970s to 1984) to Delavan, Inc (1984 to 2002) and finally Delavan Spray, LLC (2002 to present). The facility property includes a manufacturing building, a storage warehouse, a material and hazardous waste storage building, aboveground storage tank containment areas, a maintenance building and a combustion lab.

In December 2002, a preliminary environmental investigation was submitted to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). The results showed elevated concentrations of volatile organic compounds present in groundwater. The site was initially investigated under the DHEC Bureau of Water. On May 22, 2013, an invitation letter was sent to Delavan Spray, LLC to join the State Voluntary Cleanup Program under a Voluntary Cleanup Contract (VCC). The VCC was executed on July 3, 2013 and required the submission of a Remedial Investigation and a Feasibility Study.

Areas of Concern

During the Remedial Investigation, it was determined that the use and storage of PCE (tetrachloroethene) across the Site contributed to the contamination. The primary areas of concern are the former PCE Underground Storage Tank Area, and the Aboveground Storage Tank Secondary Containment area. According to workers at the Site, PCE was kept in an underground storage tank located along the southern side of the manufacturing building. This underground storage tank was removed sometime in the 1970s. Additionally, PCE was stored in aboveground storage tanks in the secondary containment area at the southeast corner of the manufacturing building. Delavan Spray, LLC ceased using solvents at the facility in 2002.

The following chemicals of concern have been found at site above their regulatory limits for either groundwater, soil, and/or vapor intrusion:  PCE, trichloroethene, cis 1,2, dichloroethene, vinyl chloride, 1,1 dichloroethene, 1,1,1 trichloroethane, chloroform, methylene chloride, benzene, toluene, selenium, arsenic, and hexavalent chromium.

The USEPA has established standards for the purpose of protecting active and potential drinking water resources, such as groundwater. PCE, trichloroethene, cis 1,2, dichloroethene, vinyl chloride, and methyl chloride are considered the main drivers for groundwater cleanup on-site. Groundwater contamination has migrated off-site to adjacent properties in the deep zones of the aquifer, and water supply wells have historically shown detections below MCLs. The impacted water supply wells have had granulated activated carbon filters placed on them by the responsible party as a proactive measure. CoCs have been detected below the MCLs in surface water downgradient of the site.

On-Site and Off-Site Determination

In November, 2021, the first Feasibility Study was submitted to the Department for review. Based on the size, source and complexity at the site, it was determined that the remediation of the contamination should be split: one Feasibility Study for the On-Site contamination present at the facility, and one Feasibility Study for the Off-Site portion, downgradient of the source area. The division of the site into these two operable units allows for individual, specific cleanup goals and potentially different remedial solutions. Currently, the On-Site Feasibility Study has been approved, and a preferred cleanup alternative identified. The Off-Site Feasibility Study is ongoing and will be completed in the near future.

Cleanup Alternatives

Several cleanup alternatives were proposed to remediate the contamination On-Site. A full description and evaluation of these alternatives can be found in the Feasibility Study, which is included in the Administrative Record below. 

SCDES’s Preferred Cleanup Alternative for On-Site Remediation

SCDES has identified Alternative 5, which combines the use of Air Sparging, Soil Vapor Extraction, Monitored Natural Attenuation, and Institutional Controls as the preferred alternative to address the contamination at the Delavan Spray Technologies Site. Community acceptance is a critical part of the final decision-making process, and the final selection could change based on input from the public. A final Remedial Design will be developed prior to implementation of the preferred remedial alternative.

Alternative 5 utilizes an existing soil vapor extraction system that was installed under the main building of the facility in 2022 as an interim measure. Additional vertical sparge wells are proposed to compliment the in-use system in the areas of highest groundwater contamination. A soil vapor extraction system creates a large vacuum and influences both the saturated and unsaturated soils. This would be combined with an air sparge system installed at a deeper interval and perpendicular to the soil vapor extraction system, using horizontally drilled wells. The air sparge system is designed to volatilize the CoCs present in the groundwater and soil and then the soil vapor extraction system captures the increased vapors. These technologies would run in tandem, complementing one another for increased remediation of the targeted media.

Groundwater monitoring would be conducted throughout the treatment process and continue monitoring at the Site to ensure the progress of the treatment. Monitored Natural Attenuation can be used almost immediately with these active technologies to assess effectiveness of the system and help fine-tune the remedy. Institutional controls such as land- and groundwater-use restrictions would be implemented on-site as part of the remedial plan. Remedy effectiveness will be evaluated at five-year intervals. The total estimated net present worth of this alternative combination is approximately $2,962,000 over a 30-year period.  

Administrative Record

The Administrative Record includes historic and recent documents used by SCDES in its oversight role. The Administrative Record documents are provided below for convenient access by those who are interested in learning more about the site: