The Houston Wood Treatment Plant is the location of a former wood treating business that operated from 1969 to 2013. During wood treating operations, pentachlorophenol (PCP) was added to diesel fuel and utilized to chemically pressure-treat and preserve wood products. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) referred the site to the EPA Superfund and Emergency Management Division in October 2022.
EPA conducted a removal site evaluation in July 2023 that identified discarded, spent-PCP wood treating solutions, and PCP-contaminated soils.
A subsequent time-critical removal action was conducted in January 2024 to address the abandoned and spent wood treating solutions and sludge. The details of which can be found at the following: response.epa.gov/HoustonWoodTreatmentPlant.
A second time-critical removal action was conducted to address the PCP-contaminated soils. This second removal began in July 2024 and consisted of excavating PCP-contaminated soil from six decision units (DUs). The contaminated soil was staged and characterized for disposal purposes. A layer of orange barrier fabric was placed at base of the excavated areas prior to backfilling to serve as a visual warning barrier should anyone disturb these areas in the future. Approximately 640 tons of gravel was used to backfill the excavated areas.
On October 29 and 30, 2024, after receiving final waste characterization results from the laboratory, 839.14 tons of contaminated soil was transported to the Black Oak Landfill in Hartville, Missouri, for final disposal.
This site has been closed per the guidance specified in the EPA Superfund Program Implementation Manual and has been referred to MoDNR for implementation of post removal site controls.
