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Woolfolk Chemical Works, Inc.
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Redevelopment at the Woolfolk Chemical Co. site includes a new public library, welcome center, and office space.
- Additional Site Photos
- Site Reuse Video
Additional Resources
- Site Cleanup Terms - can be found in EPA's glossary
- EPA Guides to Cleanup Technologies
- Superfund Community Involvement (PDF) (17 pp, 130K, About PDF)
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: GAD003269578Location: Fort Valley, Peach County, GA
Lat/Long: 32.549580, -083.884160
Congressional District: 02
NPL Status: Proposed: 06/24/88; Final: 08/30/90
Affected Media: Ground water, Soil, and Solid Waste
Cleanup Status: Early Action Initiated/Completed and Construction Underway - physical cleanup activities have started
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: In public use. Portions of the site have been redeveloped into the Peach County Public Library, a welcome center, and an adult education center.
Site Manager: Charles King (king.charlesl@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Woolfolk Chemical Works Superfund site, located in Fort Valley, Peach County, Georgia, occupies approximately 31 acres, including the former Woolfolk Chemical Works plant property (about 18 acres) and surrounding commercial areas where contamination has spread. Since the 1920s, the Woolfolk facility has been used for the production, packaging, and storage of organic and inorganic insecticides, including arsenic. Production was expanded during the 1950s to include the formulation of various organic pesticides, including DDT, lindane, toxaphene, and other chlorinated compounds. In the early 1980s, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GEPD) investigated the site based on complaints from local citizens that the facility was discharging waste products to a drainage corridor.
Threats and Contaminants
The Remedial Investigation (RI) and the Baseline Risk Assessment found 48 potential contaminants of concern, but indicated that the majority of the risk associated with the site was attributable to the arsenic contamination. Elevated levels of arsenic were found in soil, ground water, and in the attic dust of residences near the site.
Lead and several pesticides, including toxaphene, DDD, DDE, DDT, dieldrin, and BHCs, were detected in both surface and subsurface soil samples collected from locations on and off the Woolfolk facility property.
Ground water contamination primarily consisted of pesticides, trace metals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Several metals including arsenic, chromium and lead were found in highly elevated concentrations, and the primary VOC of concern was 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA).
Site Cleanup Plan
Due to the size and complexity of the site, EPA identified five operable units (OUs): OU-1 (contamination of ground water); OU-2 (contamination of soils on off-site redeveloped properties located on Martin Luther King Drive and Oak Street); OU-3 (on-site contamination in the soil, capped area, buildings, and the storm water sewer system); OU-4 (off-site contamination including residential soils, attic dust in residences, and the drainage ditch along Preston Street); and OU-5 (contamination associated with the drainage ditch from the Spiller Street pipe, past the railroad to Big Indian Creek).
The Record of Decision (ROD) for OU-1 was issued in 1994. Major cleanup elements included:- Further delineation of the extent of ground water contamination and extraction of contaminated ground water from the surficial, Upper Cretaceous (UC) water table, and UC confined aquifers.
- Treatment of the ground water using iron co-precipitation and sand filtration with activated carbon adsorption, if needed.
- Discharge treated ground water to a Publicly-Owned Water Treatment Works (POTW) with a contingency plan to include a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for surface water discharge or an infiltration gallery should an NPDES permit be unattainable.
- Institutional Controls limiting the use of ground water at the site until performance goals are met.
- Ground water monitoring of specific wells. Abandonment of all other monitoring wells used during the remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS).
- Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of the full system.
The ROD for OU-2 was issued in 1995. Major cleanup elements included placement of institutional controls to ensure that future land use is non-residential and ground water beneath the site cannot be used for any purpose as stipulated in the ROD.
The ROD for OU-3 was issued in 1998. Major cleanup elements covered soils on facility property and the existing cap and included:
- Excavation, ex-situ solidification/stabilization (S/S), and off-site disposal of soils contaminated above action levels for paved areas.
- Excavation with off-site disposal of material unsuitable for treatment (i.e. bricks, concrete).
- Consolidation and paving with asphalt/concrete of all areas with soils contaminated above action levels established for unpaved soils.
- Institutional controls to prohibit residential use of the property and to require maintenance of the paving.
In addition, the ROD for OU-3 called for:
- Demolition of Building W with off-site disposal.
- Further characterization of all other buildings associated with the current or former site operations..
- For buildings that may be of future use and have contaminant levels in excess of the standards for buildings, decontamination will be attempted where possible. Those buildings that cannot be effectively decontaminated shall be demolished.
- Video inspection of the storm sewer system to determine areas of deterioration.
- Repair of storm sewer system deterioration, and characterization of soils beneath deteriorated areas.
An Amendment to the Record of Decision (ROD) for OU-3 was issued in 2004. This amendment addressed the remedy for the existing cap. Major cleanup elements included:
- Removal of existing cap.
- Reconstruction of a cap over the area.
- Grading of capped area with excavated contaminated soils below the paved remediation levels or uncontaminated borrow soil.
- Excavation of the highly contaminated soils in the capped area to an average depth of 15 feet below the ground surface (actual excavations may range from four feet to 25 feet deep depending on contaminant levels).
- In areas where ground water is encountered or further excavation becomes technically impracticable or cost prohibitive before remediation levels are achieved, engineering or institutional controls will be implemented to address the remaining contaminants.
- On-site treatment (S/S) and off-site disposal of soils contaminated above the remediation levels for paved areas (317 ppm arsenic).
- Establishment of institutional controls to prohibit residential use of the property and require maintenance of the cap.
The ROD for OU-4 was issued in 2004. Major cleanup elements included:
- Excavation of contaminated surface soils from residential parcels, and consolidation on OU-3.
- Decontamination of the drainage pipe running from the boundary of OU-3 to Spillers Street.
- Decontamination of attics with attic dust contamination greater than 71 mg/kg arsenic.
- Use of OU-4 soils as backfill in the paved areas of OU-3 without testing. After testing to ensure that unpaved criteria have been achieved, the OU-4 soils would be used as backfill in unpaved areas. If OU-4 soil cannot be used as backfill, it will be disposed of off site.
A ROD for OU-5 has not yet been developed.
Cleanup Progress
In 1986-87, an interim soil remediation was performed at the Woolfolk facility. The major remediation activities consisted of demolishing several buildings and excavating approximately 3,700 cubic yards of soil contaminated with lead and arsenic. Material that did not require disposal at an off-site hazardous waste facility was disposed of beneath an on-site cap.
The ROD for OU-1 triggered the removal of contamination from 26 residential properties and the drainage corridor, cleanup of arsenic-contaminated attic dust, and demolition of a contaminated building. Excavation of residential soils to remove arsenic contamination exceeding action levels has been completed.
Canadyne GA Corporation (CGC), the owner of the site, purchased 17 residential properties, converting them to commercial space. The ROD for OU-2 addressed the redevelopment of these properties into a public library, an adult education center, and a welcome center for the city. Redevelopment construction and installation of a ground water extraction and treatment system was completed in 1998.
Potentially responsible parties (PRPs) have indicated that they cannot afford to implement the remedy for OU-3. EPA has taken the lead on OU-3 through an Emergency and Rapid Response Services (ERRS) contract, and has excavated over 500,000 cubic yards of material to date. Site restoration and pavement is expected to be completed in fiscal year 2010.
Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has been used to accelerate ongoing cleanup activities at this site. EPA has used approximately 98% of the 1.8 million of the Recovery Act funding allocated to the Woolfolk Chemical site to speed up completion of the ongoing long-term construction. This funding has been used to retain and/or create the jobs and provide the equipment that was used to conduct excavation and treatment of remaining contaminated soils within the former manufacturing facility (Operable Unit 3). EPA's contractors have reported that over 14 jobs were created through January 2010 timeframe. All ARRA funds will be used by end of February 2010.
In 2009, over sixty Woolfolk Chemical stakeholders-organizations and individuals- were presented with Region 4 ’s “Excellence in Site Reuse” award at a ceremony in Fort Valley, Georgia. More information on the Woolfolk event.
Site cleanup activities have been undertaken by EPA and potentially responsible parties (PRPs) with oversight by EPA.
Enforcement Activities
The site owner, CGC, and EPA entered into an Administrative Order on Consent in April 1990 to implement an RI/FS.
In December 1993, EPA issued a Unilateral Administrative Order that stipulated CGC had to remove residential attic dust, contaminated soil, sediment, and buildings that contained high level contamination.
A Unilateral Administrative Order was issued to several potentially responsible parties in May 1994, to complete the Remedial Design or Remedial Action.Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Woolfolk Chemical Works site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process. Outreach activities have included public notices, interviews, and public meetings on cleanup activities and updates.
An Alliance group has been formed at the site to provide a forum for all involved to discuss and address cleanup issues, so that the Woolfolk Chemical Works site remediation results in a safe place to live, protects the environment and where possible, helps the local economy.
The Alliance Group meets every 6-8 weeks at the Fort Valley City, and consists of representatives from: The City of Fort Valley, Peach County, Fort Valley Utilities Commission, Woolfolk Citizens Response Group, local citizens, businesses CGC, Holcomb Tire Corporation, SureCo Inc.) and Federal and State Agencies including the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, GEPD, and EPA.
Future Work
Implementation of the remedy for OU-3 is ongoing and is expected to be completed in 2010.
CGC is currently evaluating the extent of contamination in other off-site areas, including soils, dust in buildings, and soil and sediment in the stream that received drainage from the site.
An RI is presently being conducted for OU-5.Site Administrative Documents
Site Repository
For more information or to view any site-related documents, please visit the site information repository at the following location. As new documents are generated, they will be placed in the information repository for public information.
The Thomas Public Library
213 Persons St.
Fort Valley, GA 31030
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.