The Hinds County Wood Preserving Company, Inc. (HCWP) began operations in the early 1960s and ceased operations around 1978. The site has changed hands five different times since 1977, and the last known potential operator was the Middle South Wood Preserving Company (MSWP). HCWP treated lumber with creosote by pressurizing the wood in a cooker. After treatment, the lumber was left in the cooker overnight to drip and a drip pad to catch residual oils was never used. Creosote was also released from the loading valve of the creosote tank during loading operations. Cooling water from the condenser, and contaminated steam condensate from the treatment cylinders drained into a ditch that led to a holding/process pond, approximately 0.25 acres in size. MDEQ indicates that the facility also utilized a second pond, approximately 0.75 acres in size, to store and recycle process wastewater.
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. Two main processing tanks remain on-site as well as three above-ground storage tanks and several drums; asbestos is suspected to be present on several tanks. The facility’s office building has been removed and the roof of the boiler house has collapsed. The nearest residence is approximately 120 yards from the site.
**This site was completed on June 11, 2007; see the FINAL POLREP for removal action summary and site closeout information.
