EPA RCRA ID: WAD053823019
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Facility Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Related Information
- Contacts for this Facility
Cleanup Status
The former J.H. Baxter wood-treating facility site is identified by the EPA ID No. WAD053823019, and by the Washington Department of Ecology Facility Site ID No. 2709 and Cleanup Site ID No. 4768.
The site has been used for treating poles since 1960. J.H. Baxter owned and operated the facility from 1971 to 2007. Stella-Jones purchased the operation in 2007 and leased the property, then eventually bought the property in 2024.
The site is being cleaned up due to past releases of pentachlorophenol (PCP) into the soil and groundwater.
In 2008, Stella-Jones began a system to contain and reduce pentachlorophenol (PCP) in groundwater. Undissolved PCP was removed from groundwater taken from extraction wells, and the water with dissolved PCP was released back at the source area so natural bacteria could break it down. In 2015, the system was improved, including the addition of oxygen to deeper groundwater to help bacteria break down dissolved PCP.
More cleanup work was planned for 2022; however, J.H. Baxter experienced financial hardship. In 2024, Stella-Jones asked EPA if they could assume cleanup responsibility for the site.
EPA decided that the Washington Department of Ecology should be the lead agency to oversee the site’s cleanup. In 2025, Ecology and Stella-Jones negotiated an agreed order that requires them to compile existing site data and draft a conceptual site model to determine the scope of additional investigation.
After the remaining contamination is well understood, Stella-Jones will identify cleanup alternatives, and Ecology will select the best remedy. Stella-Jones must clean up the contamination.
For more information about ongoing cleanup activities, visit Ecology's website: Stella Jones JH Baxter Arlington.
Cleanup actions or environmental indicators characterizing the entire facility are shown below. It is not intended as an extensive list of milestones/activities. This listing, and all the data on this page, come from EPA’s RCRAInfo and are refreshed nightly to this page. For this table and the Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility table that follows, a blank in the status column could mean the action either has not occurred or has not been reported in RCRAInfo.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to the Entire Facility
| Action | Status | Date of Action |
|---|---|---|
| Human Exposure Under Control Human Exposure Under Control(CA725) | ||
| Groundwater Migration Under ControlGroundwater Migration Under Control (CA750) | ||
| Remedy DecisionRemedy Decision (CA400) | ||
| Remedy ConstructionRemedy Construction (CA550) | ||
| Ready for Anticipated Use Ready for Anticipated Use (CA800) | ||
| Performance Standards AttainedPerformance Standards Attained (CA900) | ||
| Corrective Action Process TerminatedCorrective Action Process Terminated (CA999) |
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility
| Action | Area Name | Date of Action |
|---|
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Facility Description
Link to a larger, interactive view of the map.
Contaminants at this Facility
The primary contaminant of concern at the site is pentachlorophenol (PCP), an industrial wood preservative used mainly to treat utility poles and cross arms. Other known contaminants of concern include residual light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and diesel range organics.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
The need for institutional or engineering controls will be determined later in the process.
Institutional and Engineering Controls help ensure human exposure and groundwater migration are under control at a cleanup facility. Where control types have been reported by states and EPA in EPA’s RCRAInfo, they are shown below. Not all control types are needed at all facilities, and some facilities do not require any controls. Where there are blanks, the control types may not be needed, may not be in place, or may not be reported in RCRAInfo.
Are Controls in Place at this Facility?
| Control(s) Type | Control(s) in Place? | Areas Subject to Control(s) | Documents available on-line: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Institutional ControlsNon-engineering controls used to restrict land use or land access in order to protect people and the environment from exposure to hazardous substances remaining in the site/or facility. (CA 772) | Informational DevicesInformational Devices (ID) | |||
| Governmental Controls (GC) | ||||
| Enforcement and Permit Tools (EP) | ||||
| Proprietary ControlsProprietary Controls (PR) | ||||
Engineering ControlsEngineering measures designed to minimize the potential for human exposure to contamination by either limiting direct contact with contaminated areas or controlling migration of contaminants. (CA 770) | Groundwater ControlGroundwater Control (GW) | |||
Non-Groundwater | ||||
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Enforcement and Compliance at this Facility
EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) provides detailed historical information about enforcement and compliance activities at each RCRA Corrective Action Site in their Enforcement and Compliance Historical Online (ECHO) system.
RCRA Enforcement and Compliance Reports from ECHO
Related Information
For more information about this facility, see these other EPA links:
- RCRA information in EPA’s Envirofacts database
- Information about this facility submitted to EPA under different environmental programs as reported in EPA’s Facility Registry Services.
- Alternative Names for this facility as reported by EPA programs in EPA’s Facility Registry Services.
- Cleanups in My Community provides an interactive map to see EPA cleanups in context with additional data, and lists for downloading data.
- Search RCRA Corrective Action Sites provides a search feature for Corrective Action Sites.
Site Documents
Contacts for this Facility
The Washington Department of Ecology is the lead agency for managing cleanup at this site. For contacts and more information, visit Ecology's website at Stella Jones JH Baxter Arlington.
For questions relating to EPA's oversight role, please contact Brett Feldhahn (feldhahn.brett@epa.gov), 206-553-2899.