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Davis Timber Company
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Pond on Davis Timber site
- Additional Site Photos
- Site 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: MSD046497012Location: Hattiesburg, Lamar County, MS
Lat/Long: 31.345190, -089.404460
Congressional District: 05
NPL Status: Proposed: 05/11/00; Final: 07/27/00
Affected Media: Ground water, Soil
Cleanup Status: Physical cleanup activities have not started
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Potential for commercial / light industrial
Site Manager: Scott Martin (martin.scott@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Davis Timber Company site encompasses a 30-acre property formerly used for timber processing and wood preserving. The property is located on Jackson Road in a rural area, approximately three miles northwest of Hattiesburg in Lamar County, Mississippi. Nearby are three creeks – Mineral Creek, East Mineral Creek, and West Mineral Creek – which flow into Country Club Lake. The 66-acre Country Club Lake is located one mile downgradient of the site; the lake is a recreational fishery and designated recreation area.
Davis Timber Company operated at the site from 1972 until the late 1980s. Wastewater, containing pentachlorophenol (PCP), dioxin and furan compounds, was discharged into an on-site storage pond, which was reportedly backfilled and capped in 1980. Prior to closing this pond, PCP- and dioxin-contaminated wastewater was released into surface water drainage pathways. Between 1974 and 1987, several fish kills in Country Club Lake were reported. PCP, dioxins and furans have been detected at elevated levels in on-site soils and also in sediments in Mineral Creek and Country Club Lake.
Threats and Contaminants
The State of Mississippi has collected fish from Country Club Lake seven times since 1987, and analyzed the fish tissue for dioxin compounds. Upon obtaining the first set of fish tissue data, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) issued a notice to local residents (in 1989) recommending that fish from Country Club Lake not be consumed. Dioxin levels in fish have decreased significantly over the last ten years. In June 2001, the State of Mississippi lifted its ban on the consumption of fish caught in waters near this site. In 2004, MDEQ collected fish again from Country Club Lake and analyzed the tissue for dioxin.
Sampling conducted in the early 2000s found contamination (predominantly dioxins and semi-volatile compounds) present in the on-site soils, at the former PCP impoundment, and in sediments. The sediment contamination is predominantly in East Mineral Creek.
Site Cleanup Plan
The site was listed as final on the National Priorities List in 2000. The Remedial Investigation (RI) began in May 2000 to identify the nature and extent of contamination. In July 2002, EPA prepared a report compiling all data collected during the RI, which summarized findings and conclusions of the sampling investigation. In 2006, EPA finalized the RI and ecological and human health risk assessments for the site. The Feasibility Study, which evaluates possible cleanup strategies, is being conducted. The cleanup strategy will be recorded in a Proposed Plan, which is expected to be completed by September 2009.
Cleanup Progress
The Feasibility Study, which evaluates possible cleanup strategies, is being conducted.
Site cleanup activities are being led primarily by EPA.
Enforcement Activities
Community Involvement
EPA is conducting a range of community involvement activities at the Davis Timber Company 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 and information meetings on cleanup progress and activities.
Future Work
The cleanup strategy for the site will be recorded in a Proposed Plan, which is expected to be completed by September 2009.
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.
Administrative Record Index
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.