United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region VI
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The Pointe Coupee Site is an inactive wood preserving facility which used PCP to treat wood products.  Dioxins and furans, potential by-products associated with sites where PCP was used, were also identified as contaminants of concern, as well as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).  The Site was operated  from the early 1950s through 1988.

The Pointe Coupee Wood Treating (Pointe Coupee) Site is situated on approximately 0.5 acre of land at 413 Parent Street, New Roads, Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana.  The Site is located in a mixed commercial/residential area. Two grocery stores border the Site property to the east and west.  It is bordered to the south by an open field, and to the north by Parent Street, also known as Louisiana Highway (LA) 10.  South of the open field is a residential neighborhood.  

Site features currently include the following: two office buildings; two lumber sheds; two above ground storage tanks; several concrete pads; four 55-gallon drums; a house on blocks used as a thrift store; and a retort vessel building, with an attached open-walled track shed.  The retort vessel building contains a 4-foot by 50-foot pressure cylinder and associated piping, two storage tanks, two steam pressure cylinders, and nine pails ranging in size from 1 to 5 gallons. The two large concrete pads with berms were used as drip pads for drying treated lumber.  The pads are sloping toward their associated berm and catch basin.

On September 18, 2006 The Superfund Division Director, Samuel Coleman signed an Action Memorandum to address the contaminated soil and waste at the site.  Additional assessment  was initiated folowing the signing of the Action Memo.  Due to the rescinding of access by the property owner for the site the initiation of removal activities was delayed until an agreement could be negotiated with the property owner. Also, additional assessment activities were conducted in conjunction with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, when LDEQ indicated tit's interest in entering into a Removal Action Contract for EPA to perform additional work to meet LDEQ's removal criteria.

After the resolution of access issues and completion of additional assessment EPA mobilized to the site on April 8, 2008 to begin removal activities. The ERRS contractor immediately began mobilization and setup activities at the Site.  The contractor set up staging areas and work zones. Initial activity is to address the process area, along with sampling activity to support waste and contaminated soil disposal.  Prior to the initiation of on-site activities EPA representatives, along with representatives of LDEQ, met with local officials to brief them on the upcoming activities.

Planned activities include the completion of disposal profile activities, demolition of the onsite shed, and the dismantling of the process area including associated  tanks piping and the on-site pressure vessel.  The proposed action is for the removal and off-site disposal of all waste in tanks and other containers containing wood treating waste. Planned activities also include the excavation and offsite disposal of soil contaminated with pentachlorophenol (PCP), dioxin, and PAH's.

Next steps include the removal of debris associated with the demolition of the frying sheds and process areas.  The results of the analysis for disposal profiling will lead to the arrangement for appropriate disposal of the waste.

Key issues include working closely with LDEQ to ensure that their goals for this removal action, as expressed in the Removal Action Contract, are accurately addressed.