Congaree River Coal Tar Update

When we found out nearly two years ago that SCE&G planned to abandon the effort to remove its toxic coal tar from the bottom of the Congaree River, we wanted to know why removal was abandoned and how the company and regulators came to that decision.

For the past few years, we at CRK have worked to get answers to those questions -- at public meetings, from regulators, and from SCE&G. Finally, last month, an answer: The Army Corps of Engineers never ruled out removal as an option and did not suggest the “cap.” That’s important news for everyone who uses the Congaree River. It means SCE&G can pursue excavation of the 40,000 tons of toxic coal tar from the riverbed – a permanent cleanup.

In new documents presented to us and to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Corps wrote that, “SCE&G’s assertion that its decision to abandon the cofferdam approach was exclusively a product of the Corps’ incomplete review of the DA permit application . . . misstates the record.” (emphasis in the original).

“In summary,” the Army Corps wrote, “Corps did not dictate the key decisions by SCE&G and DHEC in this process. . .”

The newly released documents show damming part of the river and excavating the coal tar will be a challenging undertaking, but not one that couldn’t be done or shouldn’t be considered.

In fact, we have long stated that it is the best solution to this problem. SCE&G is responsible for the pollution, and is responsible for doing everything possible to restore the river and ensure its long-term health.

We are very pleased that DHEC has instructed SCE&G to again pursue removing the coal tar from the Congaree River. The agency has been overseeing this project more than a decade, and understands the importance of getting this right. We look forward to working with SCE&G and regulators as they restart the planning and permitting process.

You can view the documents here:

And you can read more in these articles: