Brunswick, Georgia, sits on the southern coast about halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville. It’s a port city, a shrimping hub, and home to about 16,000 residents. It’s also home to two major Superfund sites that have shaped the community’s relationship with water for decades.
The LCP Chemicals Superfund site and the Hercules 009 Landfill represent some of the worst industrial contamination on the Georgia coast. Understanding their impact — and the current state of Brunswick’s water supply — matters for everyone who lives here.
LCP Chemicals: Mercury in the Marshes
The LCP Chemicals site occupies roughly 550 acres on the banks of Purvis Creek, a tidal marsh system connected to the Brunswick River and ultimately the Atlantic Ocean. The site has a long industrial history:
- From the early 1900s, various companies operated power plants, oil refineries, and paint manufacturing on the property.
- In the 1950s and 1960s, Allied Chemical Corporation operated a chlor-alkali plant that used mercury cells to produce chlorine and caustic soda. The process released massive quantities of mercury into the environment.
- LCP Chemicals took over operations and continued mercury-cell chlor-alkali production until the plant closed in 1994.
The contamination is severe. Mercury, lead, PCBs, and other hazardous substances saturate soils, sediments, and groundwater across the site. The adjacent tidal marshes — which are nursery habitat for shrimp, crabs, and fish — contain mercury at levels that prompted fish consumption advisories that remain in effect today.
The EPA placed the site on the Superfund National Priorities List in 1996. Cleanup has included:
- Excavation and capping of contaminated soils.
- Dredging of contaminated sediments from Purvis Creek.
- Long-term monitoring of mercury levels in fish and shellfish.
- Institutional controls restricting land and resource use.
Despite decades of work, mercury contamination in the marsh ecosystem will persist for generations.
Hercules 009 Landfill
The Hercules 009 Landfill Superfund site is located about two miles north of downtown Brunswick. The Hercules Corporation (now Ashland) operated a chemical plant nearby that produced toxaphene — a highly toxic pesticide banned by the EPA in 1990 — along with rosin and turpentine products.
The 009 Landfill was the primary disposal site for wastes from these operations. Toxaphene, other pesticides, and chemical byproducts were buried in unlined trenches. Groundwater beneath the landfill became contaminated with toxaphene and volatile organic compounds.
The site was added to the Superfund list in 1984. The contamination plume extends from the landfill toward residential areas, and long-term monitoring and containment measures continue.
Brunswick’s Drinking Water
The Joint Water and Sewer Commission (JWSC) of Brunswick provides water to the city and surrounding areas. The system draws from the Upper Floridan Aquifer, a deep limestone aquifer that is one of the most productive groundwater sources in the southeastern United States.
The good news: the Upper Floridan Aquifer’s depth provides significant natural protection from surface contamination. Brunswick’s drinking water consistently meets EPA primary drinking water standards.
However, there are concerns:
- Saltwater intrusion — The Upper Floridan Aquifer along the Georgia coast is vulnerable to saltwater intrusion from overpumping. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has designated the Brunswick area a “capacity use area,” limiting groundwater withdrawals. Chloride levels in some wells have been rising over decades, indicating saltwater migration.
- Disinfection byproducts — Like many systems using chlorine disinfection, Brunswick’s water contains detectable levels of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, though within EPA limits.
- Aging infrastructure — Brunswick’s water distribution system includes older pipes and mains that can affect water quality at the tap. Lead service lines and lead solder in homes built before 1986 remain a concern.
PFAS on the Coast
Georgia has been slower than some states to address PFAS contamination, but the federal PFAS drinking water standards finalized in 2024 apply nationwide. For Brunswick, potential PFAS sources include:
- The Glynco Naval Air Station (now the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center), where AFFF firefighting foam was used extensively.
- Industrial facilities that may have used PFAS-containing materials.
- The nearby Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island, where fire training activities occurred.
The JWSC will need to test and report PFAS levels under the new federal requirements. Given the military presence in the area, residents should pay close attention to these results.
Private Wells in Glynn County
Outside the JWSC service area, many Glynn County residents rely on private wells. These wells typically tap the same Floridan Aquifer system, but shallower wells — particularly those completed in the surficial aquifer — are more vulnerable to contamination.
If you’re on a private well near either Superfund site, testing for pesticides (especially toxaphene), heavy metals (mercury, lead), and VOCs should be a priority. Annual testing for coliform bacteria, nitrates, and general chemistry is standard practice.
What Residents Can Do
- Request PFAS data from the JWSC as testing results become available under new federal requirements.
- Check the fish consumption advisory before eating locally caught seafood from Purvis Creek, the Brunswick River, or nearby tidal waterways. Mercury advisories remain in effect.
- Test for lead if your home has pre-1986 plumbing. The JWSC or Glynn County Health Department may offer free or low-cost testing.
- Private well owners: test annually. Include pesticides and heavy metals in your testing panel, given the area’s industrial history.
- Consider point-of-use filtration. Reverse osmosis systems provide the most comprehensive protection against a range of contaminants including PFAS, heavy metals, and VOCs.
The Bottom Line
Brunswick’s tap water from the JWSC meets federal standards, and the deep aquifer source provides natural protection. But the city lives alongside serious contamination — mercury in the marshes, toxaphene in the groundwater, and the long tail of industrial chemical manufacturing.
Saltwater intrusion adds another layer of concern for the long-term viability of the aquifer. And PFAS testing under new federal rules will reveal whether the military and industrial legacy extends to these “forever chemicals” as well.
If you’re concerned about your water quality, a certified water treatment professional can test your water and advise on solutions tailored to your specific situation.
Sources: EPA Superfund Site Profiles (LCP Chemicals, Hercules 009 Landfill), Georgia EPD Coastal Management Program, JWSC Consumer Confidence Reports, Georgia DNR Fish Consumption Guidelines, EPA PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (2024).