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NPL Site Narrative for Monroe Auto Equipment (Paragould Pit)
MONROE AUTO EQUIPMENT CO. (PARAGOULD PIT)
Paragould, Arkansas
Federal Register Notice: August 30, 1990Conditions at proposal (October 26, 1989): The Monroe Auto Equipment Co. Pit covers 4 acres including a 1-acre disposal area on Finch Road in Paragould, Greene County, Arkansas. The area around the site is rural.
In 1973, the company received temporary approval from the Arkansas Department of Pollution Control to dispose of electroplating sludges into a pit that had formerly been mined for sand and gravel. During 1973-78, the company buried approximately 15,400 cubic yards of sludge containing iron, nickel, chromium, and zinc in the pit. The sludges also contained trichloroethylene and 1,1,1-trichloroethane, which were used as degreasers during the electroplating process.
On-site monitoring wells and a private drinking water well 300 feet southeast (downgradient) of the pit are contaminated with 1,1-dichloroethane and 1,2-dichloroethylene, according to tests conducted in 1987-88 by the Arkansas Department of Health and a Monroe consultant. The consultant also found arsenic, nickel, and lead in the monitoring wells. An estimated 2,100 people obtain drinking water from private wells within 3 miles of the site.
Status (August 30, 1990): Monroe continues to monitor ground water at the site.
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.