McCormick and Baxter Creosoting Company

Site Description

The McCormick and Baxter Creosoting Company Superfund site was used for wood treatment from 1944 until 1991. The site, situated on the Willamette River, includes 43 acres on land and 15 acres in the river. The soil is contaminated with wood-treating chemicals, including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and pentachlorophenol, to depths of 80 feet. Soil contaminants migrated to sediments in the Willamette River, resulting in contamination of river water. Sediments are contaminated with PAHs to depths of 35 feet. There are approximately 4,500 residents located within one-square-mile of the site.

Current Site Status and Cleanup Actions to Date

• The site was added to EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) in 1994, and announced its cleanup plan in 1996. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) is managing the overall cleanup and directing the cleanup contractors under a cooperative agreement with EPA
• Since 1996, more than $15 million has been provided by EPA for soil and groundwater cleanup actions at the site, reducing risks to human health and the environment by removing left-over wood-treatment chemicals and process equipment; demolishing contaminated structures; removing 33,000 tons of contaminated soil; and recovering 1,900 gallons of creosote from groundwater.
• In 2003, EPA provided $4 million to construct a sub-surface barrier wall around the site to prevent contamination from leaking into the Willamette River.
• In 1999, the City of Portland received a Superfund Redevelopment Initiative grant to help the city determine how to reuse the site. In 2001, the city completed a Site Reuse Assessment and recommended that the site be developed into a park for a variety of recreation uses. These uses may include active recreation such as a soccer field or a passive park feature such as a wetland or forested area for wildlife. The Portland City Council adopted the report's recommendation and a park will be built once the cleanup work is complete.
• EPA continues to monitor the site to ensure there is no immediate threat to human health or the environment pending the start of long-term cleanup work.

Current Funding Status

• EPA has provided more than $15 million since 1996 for soil and groundwater cleanup actions at the site.
• EPA has determined that this site does not pose an immediate threat to human health, and will continue to monitor this site for any changes that may trigger additional action. EPA will consider funding new work at this site in Fiscal Year 2004.
• Remaining cleanup work includes construction of a sediment cap at an estimated cost of $7.9 milliona nd an upland site cap at a cost of $4.4 million. ODEQ and EPA will continue efforts this year to complete the design of the sediment cap and determine whether segments of the cleanup work can be completed using available site-specific funds. The construction of the sediment cap is not being funded at this time.

EPA Funding Process

EPA funds cleanup work at sites that fall into three categories: sites that pose immediate danger to human health; sites where specific cleanup projects have already begun, and sites with the highest relative risks to human health that are near-term construction completion candidate sites. Sites that fall into the first two categories receive the highest priority for funding. Sites in the third category receive funding based on the availability of funds, the relative risk to human health and the environment as determined in part by the National Risk-Based Priority Panel, and other programmatic factors including the potential availability of responsible parties to conduct the work.

For more information on this site, please read the Fact Sheet on the Region 10 Superfund Web site.

Key Accomplishments