The Hinds County Wood Preserving Company, Inc. (HCWP) began operations in the early 1960s and ceased operations around 1978. HCWP treated lumber with creosote in two pressure vessels. Remaining on-site as of 11/06/2006 were both pressure vessels (Tanks 2 and 6), three above-ground storage tanks (AST) (Tanks 1, 3, and 5), the facility boiler (Tank 4), and various pieces of equipment and treated lumber. The removal assessment determined 1) that each of the three ASTs contains some amount of material with a collective total of approximately 14,000 gallons, 2) each of the pressure vessels contains some amount of residual creosoting material and one was actively leaking, 3) seven drums of waste oil-water mixture were left on-site, 4) the boiler unit insulation contained asbestos while the pressure vessel’s insulation did not, and 5) equipment contaminated with creosote remained on-site.
The site is drained by several ditches that converge at the northeast, adjacent to Learned Oakley Road, and flow via culverts into Bitter Creek on the east side of the road. Previous site inspections within the last 20 years have identified two ponds to the north of the site that may have been used in the facility’s processes. Interviews with local residents suggest that there may have been ponds for waste water on the site, but they were much closer to the facility and have since been filled in. Sampling of the existing ponds identified in the previous site inspections will determine whether the area was contaminated by the wood preserving facility.
The nearest residence is located 120 yards and uphill from the site. The resident maintains a groundwater well on the property, but the house has been connected to a municipal water supply.
EPA ERRB, START, and ERRS mobbed to the site on 11/06/2006 and began work on 11/07/2006. Site work began by removing brush and trees. A wood chipper was used to grind debris and spread it over an area that had become soft with recent rains.
An excavator and bobcat were brought on-site to begin moving and segregating large debris. Trees and brush were ground into chips and spread over soft areas. Treated lumber was moved to an area at the north of the site. Tires have been piled in another area. Uncontaminated metal was piled at an accessible area for recycling.
The office trailer and portable toilets were installed. Arrangements have been made to connect water and electricity to the trailer. Gravel (Crush Run) was placed at the entrance to the driveway and in an area near the office trailer to accommodate vehicle parking.
MSDEQ provided a boat to sample sediment from the northernmost pond identified in the previous site investigations. It was observed that this pond is upstream from the facility; also that fencing and a dam exist between it and the facility property. An interview with a resident suggests that the property never existed as part of the facility property, nor had any flooding occurred significantly enough for runoff from the facility to flow into the pond.
Older fence posts were discovered along the ditch at the northwest of the site, similar to those that divide the property lines at other locations. This could be further evidence that the other pond identified in the previous site investigations may not have been part of the facility. This other pond was sampled in June and final results are pending.
Several sediment samples were taken from the ditches along the northeast of the site, near the culvert, and in Bitter Creek.
- Clearing of vegetation and trees to gain access to contaminated areas. (ONGOING)
- Removal and bulking of contaminated wastes and/or hazardous substances from tanks and drums.
- Demolition and removal of tanks and removal contaminated materials such as abandoned equipment.
- Excavate, stockpile and re-locate the contaminated surface soil.
- Collect and analyze confirmation samples from the excavated areas.
- Restore and backfill excavated areas with clean fill.
- Conduct additional sampling for waste profiling.
- Additional sampling to confirm extent and boundary of migrated contaminants.
- Sample the ASTs and pressure vessels
- Remove the asbestos
- Sample soil in on the northwest side of tank 2
- Erect a security fence
Several different names have been applied to the ponds identified in previous investigations such as “Wastewater Pond”, “Gin Pond”, and “Drip Area” although none of the historical or geographical data suggests that these ponds were ever part of the facility’s operations. Sample results will determine whether the ponds have been contaminated. In the mean time, the ponds will be referred to by generic titles as opposed to those given in the previous investigations.
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