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NPL Site Narrative for Joseph Forest Products
JOSEPH FOREST PRODUCTS
Joseph, Oregon
Federal Register Notice: March 31, 1989Conditions at proposal (June 24, 1988): Joseph Forest Products formerly treated wood on an 18.5-acre site approximately 0.8 mile northwest of the Town of Joseph, Wallowa County, Oregon.
The wood treatment process used a water-based mixture of chromated copper arsenate. Wastes were stored in a cement pit and sump prior to removal. A fire in 1974 resulted in a spill of concentrated preservative mixture to the ground. In 1986, EPA detected high levels of arsenic and chromium and lower levels of copper in on-site soils.
The shallow aquifer occurs at 5 to 10 feet below the surface and is overlain by very permeable soils, conditions that facilitate movement of contaminants into ground water.
Ground water within 3 miles of the site provides drinking water to over 2,000 people. The City of Enterprise gets its drinking water from springs 4,000 feet from the site. Ground water is also used for irrigation. The site lies within the City of Enterprise Watershed Protection Area.
The Wallowa River is 400 feet east of the site.
Status (March 31, 1989): The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is sampling several monitoring wells and springs around the site on a quarterly basis.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.