benfield industries, inc.

RICHLAND ST.

The 3.5-acre site is part of a larger 6-acre area on Riverbend Street in Waynesville, Haywood County, North Carolina. The site includes several buildings and parking areas. A residential and a commercial business border the site to the north, Riverbend Street borders the site to the east, a residential area borders the site to the south and the Southern Railway and Browning Branch Creek border the site to the west. The site’s broader surroundings include industrial, commercial and residential areas. From 1971 until 1983, Benfield Industries mixed and packaged bulk materials for resale at the site. The company’s facility handled and stored paint thinners, solvents, sealants, cleaners, de-icing solutions and wood preservatives. In 1982, a fire destroyed most on-site structures and ended operations. In 1989, EPA listed the site on the NPL. In 2002, Haywood Vocational Opportunities, Inc. (HVO) purchased the site property. In 2004, HVO redeveloped the site into a vocational training center and a manufacturing facility with multiple parking areas. Fencing around the site limits access. The site’s cleanup supports commercial and industrial land uses. In April 2013, EPA presented to HVO Region 4’s “Excellence in Site Reuse” Award for HVO involvement in the cleanup and redevelopment of the site.