Seaboard Chemical Dump and an old High Point-owned landfill share a 163-acre contaminated “inactive” site on Riverdale Drive, across the street from the High Point Eastside Wastewater Treatment Plant, in Jamestown 27282. Drinking water supply DEEP RIVER (WSIV-CA*), which empties into Randleman Lake & Reservoir, borders the site to the north and east.
Hazardous and toxic chemicals, metals and volatile organic compounds have been leaching, draining and seeping into the soil, groundwater, vapor and surface water from this site for decades and continue to do so.
Attempts to eliminate 1,4-Dioxane from the groundwater include planting a 30-acre phytoremediation forest of loblolly pines (to soak the chemical out of the ground):
Despite public outcry and concerns raised by NCDEQ, medical professionals and former Seaboard workers, Deep River was dammed in 2005 to form Randleman drinking water reservoir atop a former landfill, and only five miles downstream from Seaboard/High Point Landfill, Eastside WWTP, Kersey Valley Landfill, GFL C&D Landfill, Jackson Lake Road (unlined) Landfill and Wiley Davis Landfill.
In 2010, the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority (PTRWA), the newly formed operating utility for Randleman Lake & Reservoir, began sending drinking water from the Kime Treatment Plant/ Randleman Reservoir to residents of Greensboro, High Point, Jamestown, Archdale and Randleman.
The Jamestowner was launched in January 2023 as a community discussion portal and citizen-sharing archive of public record documents, permits, maps, site assessments, water/air test results, and NPDES violations. Every post on this site should be considered to be a working document subject to updates and changes as we continue to uncover information and learn more.
JUNE 18, 2025: View PFAS test results for local residential and industrial sites, including Seaboard, HERE. View 1,4-DIOXANE test results for local residential and industrial sites, including Seaboard, HERE. These spreadsheets include the results of ground- and surface-water tests conducted by institutions, labs and residents. If you have results to be added to either list, please send them to susan122306@gmail.com.
A 2008 SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT names the polluting companies and organizations responsible for the cleanup of groundwater contamination at Seaboard/High Point Landfill as:
City of High Point, Akzo Nobel Coatings, American Woodmark Corp., Ashland Inc., BASF Corporation, Brenntag North America, Carolina Solvents, Clariant Corporation, ConocoPhillips Company, ExxonMobile Corporation, General Electric, Huntsman Corporation, NEPTCO Inc., PermaFix, Cookson Electronics, Marsh Furniture, Rexam Inc., Rockwell Automation, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Environmental Enterprises, Valspar Corporation, Thomasville Furniture Industries, and Walt Disney World.
Links to the legal documents are in this post:
After decades of lax oversight, Seaboard/High Point landfill still sits contaminated along the banks of Deep River.
Seaboard’s 2024 annual report to NCDEQ implies that the removal of above-ground structures from the site back in the 1990s equates to a “completion” of the contaminated groundwater and soil remediation:
PTRWA, Randleman Lake, Randleman Reservoir and Kime water treatment plant are in Randolph County. PTRWA is a “wholesaler” of water to Greensboro, High Point, Jamestown and Archdale in Guilford County, and Randleman in Randolph County. Each town/city is a PTRWA “partner.”
BACKGROUND: The Seaboard Chemical was once a major hazardous waste site for the state of North Carolina. When CERCLA regulations kicked in, the owners declared bankruptcy and left town.
The City of High Point owns Seaboard now, along with the surrounding inactive “High Point Landfill.” These two properties comprise 163 acres and are treated as one site by the NCDEQ. The site sits on Deep River in Jamestown 27282, a zip code that includes the Town of Jamestown (4 square miles, 3800 residents). The rest of the 27282 zip code (11 square miles, 12,000 residents) consists of extraterritorial jurisdictions, county-zoned property, and residential neighborhoods that receive services form, and are in the legislative precincts of, High Point and/or Greensboro, yet have a Jamestown address.
Across the street from the Seaboard site is the Eastside wastewater-sewer plant, which is in such noncompliance it has been unable to renew its NPDES (water discharge) permit since 2018. Adjacent to Eastside are three more landfills, all of which are leaching 1,4-Dioxane and other contaminants into tributaries that flow to Deep River.
Deep River is a Water of the United States (WOTUS) that empties into the Cape Fear River near Moncure. The stretch of Deep River that runs through Jamestown and southern Guilford County is NC17-(4) in the state’s waterways network.
At the national level, EPA regulatory actions FINALLY resulted in mandatory testing of public water systems (for PFAS). That is no longer happening.
Jamestown’s public water system (PTRWA) has not received infrastructure funding for water quality and stormwater projects.
Jamestowner Inc. filed as a nonprofit to raise funds so citizens could test their water and wells. Thus far, 17 PFAS analytes have been found in our public drinking water system.
Our tests find that PFAS levels are continuing to rise in our surface waters, tap water and wells.
This local volunteer effort has been supplemented by water testing paid for and overseen by a new Deep River Riverkeeper organization, also a citizen-led volunteer effort, along with several organizations including the Duke University Superfund Center. Their first-year test results for Bull Run and Deep River in Jamestown may be viewed here:
MORE on SEABOARD:
FEB 29, 2024 – Eric Aufderhaar, in his former capacity as a Project Manager in the NC Hazardous Waste Section, had been doing an outstanding job at staying on top of Seaboard’s groundwater monitoring and testing. In February of this year, Aufderhaar wrote this letter to Seaboard Group and the City of High Point, with specific comments about what was missing from Seaboard’s 2023 annual water monitoring report. In closing, he stated that February 20, 2024 would be his last day in that role. We miss his thorough reporting:
The Seaboard “project manager” is now Kim Caulk, Supervisor Facility Management Branch, NC Division of Waste Management.
August 12, 2024 – Methane gas was detected at the Seaboard/High Point Landfill site at levels above the “explosive” limit:
April 19, 2024 – Seaboard Group/City of High Point 2024 First Quarter Report to NCDEQ Division of Waste Management (Kim Caulk, Supervisor Facility Management Branch):
March 22, 2024 – RECEPTOR SURVEY of surrounding properties close to Seaboard Group/City of High Point:
March 15, 2024 – Seaboard Group/City of High Point response to Eric Aufderhaar comments re annual report:
February 21, 2024 – Revised 4th quarter report from Seaboard Group/City of High Point to NC Division of Waste Management:
January 16, 2024 – Annual water monitoring report, Seaboard Chemical dump/High Point Landfill, 5899 Riverdale Drive, Jamestown NC.
December 5, 2023 – Compliance Inspection/Investigation at Seaboard Chemical dump, 5899 Riverdale Drive, Jamestown NC.
November 17, 2023 – Seaboard Group/City of High Point responds to NC Division of Waste Management’s questions about the 3rd quarter contaminants/PFAS test report:
October 20, 2023 – Seaboard Group/City of High Point submits 3rd quarter 2023 report to Division Waste Management: “During the third quarter of 2023, the mechanical and phytoremediation (tree forest) treatment systems processed 3,755,987 gallons of extracted groundwater and leachate. Based on the average influent contaminant concentrations, approximately 268.8 pounds of volatile organic compounds and 22.8 pounds of 1,4-dioxane were recovered from the groundwater extraction wells and leachate collection systems:”
September 18, 2023 – NCDEQ/Division of Waste Management approves Seaboard’s workplan, with conditions: “The Division of Waste Management is requiring the former Seaboard Chemical and [old High Point] Landfill site to conduct PFAS monitoring in addition to the routine water quality monitoring beginning with the Fall 2023 monitoring event:
September 11, 2023: Seaboard Group/Cityof High Point PFAS workplan for Seaboard Chemical dump and High Point Landfill:
August 10, 2023: Letter from Eric Aufderhaar, NCDEQ Division of Waste Management to Craig Coslett, Seaboard Group II, requiring PFAS monitoring and reporting of results to NCDEQ, in addition to routine water quality monitoring/testing, beginning in the Fall of 2023 (date is not specified). Water sample must include groundwater from monitoring wells on the Seaboard property, and surface water from surface water drainages that cross the Seaboard property. Surface water sampling is also being required of Randleman Lake, which is 11.5 miles downstream from the Seaboard property. Water runoff from Seaboard and High Point Landfill on Riverdale Drive flows into Deep River. Here’s the letter:
May 26, 2023: NCDEQ letter to Craig Coslett, Seaboard Group, regarding Seaboard’s First Five-Year Review Report, submitted in February. Mr. Aufderhaar made a number of comments, some impressive edits and requested more information.
In Comment number 2, the NCDEQ tells Coslett that contrary to what was derived from a 1996 Consent Order, the state didn’t agree to “perform the remedial investigation,” because the DEQ doesn’t do that sort of thing. Aufderhaar asks Coslett to do a better job at spelling out his acronyms.
Comment number 8 kicks off the 1,4 Dioxane discussion by noting that even though a graph in Seaboard’s report implies that the 1,4 Dioxane on site has decreased, the concentration still measures 1,000 ug/L – “… many orders of magnitude greater than the North Carolina Groundwater Quality Standard of 3 ug/L.” Aufderhaar tells Seaboard they need to move faster on this one.
In Comment number 10, Aufderhaar asks Coslett to identify the two 1,4-Dioxane sources mentioned in the Seaboard report – two sources “located on Richland Creek upstream of this confluence.”
“Two sources” is an understatement. Richland Creek carries leachate and wastewater to Deep River and Eastside WWTP from dozens of High Point discharging facilities including the Ward Water Treatment Plant, Thomas Buses, Kersey Valley Landfill, Mickey Truck Bodies, Hunter Farms, Slane Hosiery, Harriss & Covington Hosiery, Innospec, Cintas Corporation, High Point’s landfills (Kersey Valley, GFL, Jackson Lake Road) – some of the 1,4 Dioxane dischargers are listed HERE and in this post:
Here are Aufderhaar’s May 26th comments:
July 18, 2023: The 50-page response from Seaboard Group and The City of High Point (High Point Landfill is on the Seaboard property) to Aufderhaar’s comments:
February 23, 2023: Mr. Eric Aufderhaar, NCDEQ, Hazardous Waste Section, Division of Waste Management, responds to Seaboard’s 2022 Annual Monitoring Report with comments and a request for a revised report:
February 15, 2023 Compliance Evaluation Inspection. Present: Gary Babb, PG ( Babb & Associates); Rich Glover, PE (PTRWA board of directors, principal in Jamestown Eng. Group); Craig Coslett (de maximus, inc.); Robby Stone (City of High Point); Eric Aufderhaar, Environmental Program Consultant (NCDEQ); Josh Hanks, Hydrogeologist (NCDEQ); SURVEY INSPECTOR: Daniel Girdner, Environmental Specialist II, NCDEQ
FLUFF: “Remedial investigations conducted at the [Seaboard] Site have documented the presence of chlorinated and non-chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in soils, landfill leachate, groundwater, and surface water. … the VOC-affected groundwater is migrating to Randleman Lake … which was created by the impoundment of the Deep River in 2006 by Randleman Lake Dam, located approximately 11.5 miles downstream of the Seaboard Site. Seaboard Group II and the City of High Point entered into a Remedial Action Settlement Agreement with NC DENR on December 29, 2008. The proposed remedy would prevent movement of contaminants into the Deep River … Groundwater and surface water sampling would monitor the effectiveness of the remedy to ensure that there is no unacceptable migration of contaminants to the Deep River or Randleman Reservoir.“
The Dioxane Tree Forest in “The Tree City” of Jamestown, North Carolina, Seaboard Chemical Corp, Riverdale Drive, February 2023.
FACT: It’s been fifteen years since the Settlement Agreement was reached, and the only thing that has changed is the height of Seaboard’s Dioxane Phytoremediation Tree Forest and the placement and reduction in the number of monitoring wells.
SEABOARD GROUP CONTACTS:
Craig Coslett, Administrator, de maximus, inc., (Project Coordinator)
Mailing Address: 1550 Pond Road, Suite 120, Allentown, PA 18104
Phone Number: 610-435-1151 Mobile: 610-360-7539
Email: ccoslett@demaximis. com
Amos Dawson III, Attorney, Williams Mullen (Attorney)
Mailing Address: 301 Fayetteville Street, Suite 1700, Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone Number: 919-981-4010
Email: adawson@williamsmullen.com
Gary Babb, P.G., Babb & Associates, P.A. (Contractor)
Mailing Address: 5506 Bradford Pear Ct, Raleigh, NC 27606
Phone Number: 919-605-4719
Email: gbabb@gmail. com
Bruce Ashley, Attorney, Fox Rothschild LLC (Attorney for the City of High Point)
Mailing Address: 230 N. Elm Street, Suite 200, Greensboro, NC 27401
Phone Number: 336-378-5321
Email: bashley@foxrothschild.com
Brooks Reitzel, (Seaboard Bankruptcy Attorney)
Contact Address: SunTrust Bank Building, 1301 Eastchester Drive, Suite 201,
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 5544, High Point, North Carolina 27265
Phone Number: 336- 885- 7900
Email: eitzel@northstate.net