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NPL Site Narrative for Arkwood, Inc.
ARKWOOD, INC.
Omaha, Arkansas
Federal Register Notice: March 31, 1989Conditions at proposal (September 18, 1985): The Arkwood, Inc., Site covers approximately 20 acres on the Missouri-Pacific Cricket Railroad siding in Boone County, Arkansas, south of Omaha. The area is largely agricultural.
The Arkwood Site consists of a millwork shop, a wood-treating plant which used pentachlorophenol (PCP) and creosote, and a yard for storing treated products before sale. The site owners started operations in the early 1960s and formed an Arkansas corporation, Arkwood, Inc., shortly thereafter. In 1973, the owner of Arkwood, Inc., leased the process and land to Mass Merchandisers, Inc. (MMI) of Harrison, Arkansas. MMI's lease expired on January 1, 1985, and was not renewed. The plant has not operated since.
The history of disposal activities has been provided primarily by MMI. Wood-treating wastes were dumped into a cave at the plant from the beginning of operations until around 1970. The entrance to the cave, which is at ground level, has been boarded and covered with cement. Waste oils were also placed in a ditch adjacent to the railroad until 1974, when the cost of the chemicals used in the process forced improvement of the recovery system and reduced the volume of wastes generated.
Other wastes consist in part of the liquid from washing of the treatment room floor and equipment. These wastes accumulated in a tank, and then were spread over the storage yard to control dust. Based on 1970 operations, at least 6,000-7,000 pounds per year of waste were generated over the more than 20 years of operation, according to MMI. There is also a large pile of sawdust and wood chips in the southeast part of the site, at least some of which contains PCP, according to the Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology.
The State has detected PCP in local water wells, natural springs in the area, and nearby Walnut Creek. In 1982, MMI drilled a replacement well for a nearby resident and retained a consulting firm to conduct a geohydrological study in the area. Approximately 660 persons depend on private wells within 3 miles of the site for drinking water.
Status (April 1987): In May 1986, EPA signed an Administrative Order on Consent under CERCLA Section 104 and 106 requiring MMI to conduct a remedial investigation/feasibility study to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site and identify alternatives for remedial action. EPA has approved the company's workplan. In August 1986, under the Arkansas Water and Air Pollution Control Act and the Remedial Action Trust Fund Act, the State filed suit against MMI and the former owner and operator of Arkwood for investigation and remedial action at the site. Field activities have been delayed for about a year because the land owner will not grant access to MMI.
Status (March 31, 1989): In the spring of 1988, after the question of access was settled, MMI restarted the remedial investigation.
Revised estimates indicate that 137 cubic yards of wastes are in the railroad ditch and the treatment room sump.
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.