Georgetown residents voice concerns over steel mill cleanup
Steel News | 2026-06-12 00:05:29 | By Paul Ploumis
When the cleanup process is complete and a certificate is issued, new developers can move in for a project planned for the city of Georgetown.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services held a meeting Thursday to discuss cleanup efforts at Georgetown’s Liberty Steel Mill, which was decommissioned in 2024.
The steel mill has already started the demolition process, but the upcoming cleanup has raised questions among Georgetown residents.
The SC Department of Environmental Services is tasked with assessing the Liberty Steel Mill property as a beginning phase for a larger plan.
“The previous use of the property can kind of predict what kind of contaminants can be found through this site,” said Preston Mousseau, Brownfield Section Manager with the SC Department of Environmental Services. “It’s got a long history, there could be possible contaminants found, but we’re gonna do a thorough assessment with GEL and figure out what those are and move them onto cleanup.”
The agency said once the land assessment with soil and water testing is complete, it will move to the cleanup stage.
“There are many different options, but it kind of depends on what the risk is and what the pathway is,” Mousseau said. “If it’s some metals in the soil, you can cap that, and if there’s no exposure to that soil if they’re not digging it up, shoveling it around, not digging through the dirt touching it, the exposure is not there.”
When the cleanup process is complete and a certificate is issued, new developers can move in for a project planned for the city of Georgetown.
“What we’re trying to do is create accessibility for citizens that haven’t had it in all the years that there’s been plants there,” said Warren Waters, Managing Member, Liberty Waters LLC. “We have laid out a riverwalk, a marina, an amphitheater, and really providing citizens with connectivity to the waterfront.”
At the meeting, residents raised concerns about air and water contamination, but most locals said the demolition and cleanup are the best options.
“Cleaning up old sites is we’ve gotta do that, we should do that,” said Gary Boettner, Georgetown Resident. “You know the guy from Berkeley County that said this project ought to be stopped; his solution is to just let it sit there. Is that an answer? No, and that’s why we got to, I hate to say it this way, you got to be positive about it.”
The testing and land assessment are ongoing, but leaders with the SC Department of Environmental Services said contamination results should be available within the coming weeks.
Courtesy: www.wmbfnews.com