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NPL Site Narrative for Madisonville Creosote Works
MADISONVILLE CREOSOTE WORKS
Madisonville, Louisiana
Federal Register Notice: December 23, 1996Conditions at Proposal (June 1996): Madisonville Creosote Works encompasses approximately 29 acres and is located approximately 2 miles west of Madisonville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. The area surrounding the site is predominately rural and wooded. The site is located on the north bank of Lake Ponchartrain, a coastal tidal water body used for both commercial and recreational fishing. Drainage from the site enters an unnamed intermittent stream that empties into a large perennial wetland approximately 3,500 feet southeast from the site. This wetland is a fresh-to-intermediate marsh and is contiguous to Lake Ponchartrain.
The facility treated wood products with creosote since it opened in the 1950s. From the 1960s until 1984, creosote sludge and wastewater were treated, stored, and disposed using sprinkler evaporation, surface impoundments, and ditches. The facility ceased operations in July 1994. Currently no wood treating activities are being conducted on site. The facility is no longer in operation and is unable to implement corrective action requirements.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) and EPA have conducted extensive investigative activities at the site. Four surface impoundments and two process ditches underwent closure in 1986. Closure activities included the removal and off-site incineration of contaminated sludge and soil. These units were backfilled with clean soil, a 2-foot clay cover applied, and vegetated. Post-closure sampling indicated the presence of residual creosote contamination in soils collected from these impoundments. These sources were not certified clean closed due to a ground water contaminant plume in the alluvial aquifer underlying the facility. Approximately 15 aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) remain on-site. These ASTs were used to manage wastewater and as storage for raw creosote. During an on-site reconnaissance inspection conducted on June 30, 1995, 11 of these tanks still contained liquids. A remedial investigation (RI) of off-site contamination was conducted near the site from August 21 to September 11, 1991, through the LDEQ Inactive and Abandoned Sites Division. Two off-site areas were investigated: a drainage ditch on both sides of Louisiana Highway 22 north of the facility and an unnamed stream southeast of the facility. The RI identified approximately 300 linear feet of creosote contamination in the drainage ditch along Louisiana Highway 22 (north of facility) and 2,300 feet of contamination within the unnamed intermittent stream southeast of the facility. Creosote constituents were detected in the soils in the drainage ditch. The LDEQ approved a privately financed remediation plan for the unnamed stream; however, removal activities were stopped after the removal and disposal of contaminated soil along 950 feet of the unnamed stream. The remaining contamination has not been removed. The remediated area of stream bed contained creosote. EPA conducted an integrated site inspection (ISI) at this facility in January 1995. The ISI focused on the collection of sediment samples along the drainage pathway and in wetlands south of the site. Samples collected along the drainage pathway and in the wetlands contained creosote hazardous substances such as anthracene, acenaphthene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzofluoranthene, 3,4-benzo(b)fluoranthene, dibenz(a,h)anthracene, dibenzofuran, chrysene, carbazole, and naphthalene.
Bald eagles nest within 15 miles of the site. The Gulf of Mexico sturgeon, a federally endangered species, is present in Lake Ponchartrain.
Status (December 1996): Drinking water samples collected by EPA show no creosote contamination for nearby residents living around the site. EPA is currently conducting a Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment and an Expanded Site Investigation/Remedial Investigation. Removal activities began in September 1996 at the on-site process area. The on-site drums, tanks, pressure vessels, and process equipment will undergo demolition, transportation, and disposal. This includes 129,000 gallons of hazardous liquids, 200 cubic yards of sludge and debris, and 14 cubic yards of asbestos containing material.
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.