EPA Begins Second Time-Critical Removal Action at J.H. Baxter Facility
SEATTLE, WA (September 17, 2026) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun a second Time-Critical Removal Action (TCRA) at the J.H. Baxter Superfund Site in Eugene, Oregon to prevent potential hazardous substance releases from underground contamination at the site that was exposed during the first removal action.
EPA mobilized to the site for the TCRA on September 14, 2026, and the work is expected to last into Spring of 2027.
“The J.H. Baxter site is a priority for EPA, and we want to accelerate cleanup of the site where we can,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Emma Pokon. “Removing or controlling these underground sources reduces risk now and allows the broader Superfund investigation and cleanup process to move forward at the same time.”
EPA conducted its first TCRA at the facility in the summer of 2024. While that removal work reduced major immediate threats aboveground, it also identified additional contamination underground. The removal of tanks and other structures during the removal action allowed EPA to safely sample beneath the former tank farm, retort areas, wood-treating drip pads, and drying shed.
Through the sampling at the end of the first removal action and additional sampling conducted in February 2026, EPA found additional sources of contamination in subsurface soils. The contaminants mainly consist of pentachlorophenol, petroleum-based carrier oils, creosote-derived constituents, and metals.
In addition to contamination found beneath many of the previous structures, EPA confirmed the former wood-treating drip pads themselves were contaminated and required removal.
EPA’s February 2026 sampling included additional surface and shallow subsurface soil sampling to evaluate the impact of contaminated soil at the site on stormwater. The results confirmed a present ongoing release of contamination from soil to stormwater, which requires the ongoing operation of the stormwater treatment system. Based on these results, EPA may implement targeted removal, capping, or stormwater diversion measures to address surface soil contamination to reduce reliance on active operation of the stormwater treatment system.
It is important to note that EPA temporarily lined, backfilled and covered the known sources of contamination at the end of the first removal action. There is no present threat to the community.
This removal action is consistent with EPA’s Superfund Solutions Initiative, which aims to accelerate cleanup at high-priority National Priority List sites by addressing known sources of contamination without unnecessary delay. J.H. Baxter demonstrates how EPA can use removal authority to reduce near-term risk while the Remedial Program advances an efficient and cost-effective long-term cleanup.
This removal action will not address all contamination at the site. The site was listed on the National Priorities List on July 3, 2025, and additional remedial actions will address remaining contamination after this second removal action.
Background
From 1943 to 2022, J.H. Baxter treated wood products at their facility in West Eugene, Oregon. J.H. Baxter stopped operations at the site in January 2022. In 2024, EPA began removing tanks and chemicals from the site and demolishing remaining structures. During that removal action, EPA removed more than 750,000 gallons of hazardous waste at the site, and decontaminated and removed more than 65 tanks, vessels, sumps, and related facility structures.
EPA added the site to its Superfund National Priorities List in July 2025 to address remaining environmental contamination.
It is important to distinguish between EPA’s Removal and Remedial programs. At this site, the Removal program is addressing known, accessible source material, near-term exposure, and migration concerns, while the Remedial program evaluates the broader site, groundwater, surface water and sediment, residential properties, and long-term cleanup alternatives.
For more information about the JH Baxter Superfund site, visit here