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NPL Site Narrative for Potter Co.
POTTER CO.
Wesson, Mississippi
Federal Register Notice: May 10, 1993Potter Co. manufactures electrical components, including electromagnetic interference filters and capacitors, at a plant in Wesson, Copiah County, Mississippi, approximately 43 miles southwest of Jackson. Operations began on the 12-acre property in 1953. Land within 1 mile is primarily used for residential and agricultural purposes.
In 1986, Varian Associates, Inc. purchased Pulse Engineering, Inc., of which Potter was a subsidiary. At that time, employees expressed concern over how wastes had been handled at the plant. Subsequent sampling by Potter in April and May 1986 detected PCBs and solvents in onsite surface soils. PCB oils used in the capacitors were cleaned from process equipment with solvents, primarily trichloroethene (TCE). The oil-solvent mixtures were dumped onto the ground outside the manufacturing buildings. In November 1986, additional sampling by Potter detected PCBs in soils in drainage ditches and on adjacent residential property.
In May 1986, the State of Mississippi issued an order requiring Potter to determine the extent of PCB contamination in soils, develop a plan to remove the contaminated soils, and install a monitoring well. Potter detected PCBs, TCE, and several other organic compounds in the new monitoring well, and also in several other monitoring wells.
Analyses conducted by the Mississippi Bureau of Pollution Control in August 1987 found that Wesson's two municipal wells, located approximately 1,000 feet southeast of Potter, contained significant concentrations of TCE. The wells were closed and the City installed new wells in June 1989. These new wells, however, are less than 1 mile southeast of the closed contaminated municipal wells. An estimated 1,500 people obtain drinking water from municipal wells within 4 miles of the site.
In November 1987, Potter installed a synthetic liner over contaminated soil in one of the plant's drainage ditches. Soil from the most heavily contaminated areas of the adjacent property was placed on a roll-off container and covered with a tarp.
In 1988 and 1989, further studies by Potter were conducted to characterize the extent of PCB contamination in surface soils and to determine the extent of the TCE plume in ground water.
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.