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NPL Site Narrative for Cape Fear Wood Preserving
CAPE FEAR WOOD PRESERVING
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Federal Register Notice: July 22, 1987
Conditions at proposal (June 10, 1986): The Cape Fear Wood Preserving Site covers about 41 acres in a suburban area in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina. From 1953 to 1978, the company treated wood with creosote, chromium-copper-arsenic, and pentachlorophenol. The company deposited process wastes in an unlined treatment pond and a surface impoundment. Wastes were also allowed to discharge from a sump into a drainage ditch.
In April 1985, EPA used CERCLA emergency funds to pump water out of the pond, which covered 144 square yards and was 9 feet deep. Fly ash was added to help solidify the sludge. The mixture was removed down to the water table at about 7 feet. The pond was then filled in with soil from the site. In addition, a portion of an unnamed creek was sampled and a portion of the sediment removed. Sludge was also removed from a septic tank. However, contaminated soils remain on-site, threatening to contaminate ground water. Soils on the site are permeable (consisting generally of sand, gravel, and sand mixed with clay), facilitating the movement of contaminants into ground water.
About 16,000 people depend on public wells within 3 miles of the site as a source of drinking water.
Status (July 22, 1987): EPA has completed a search for parties potentially responsible for wastes associated with the site and plans to send them notice letters informing them of their potential liability.
EPA's preliminary plan for fiscal year 1987 includes a remedial investigation/feasibility study to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site and identify alternatives for remedial action.
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.