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Two Texas Sites Added to National Superfund List

Release Date: 10/28/1999
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

     The former Garland Creosoting property in Longview and the State Road 114 Ground Water Plume site near Levelland have been added to the federal Superfund program's National Priorities List (NPL).

     "Listing these sites is the best way to ensure that public health and the environment remain protected. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission will continue to work together to clean up these sites quickly and efficiently," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Gregg Cooke said.

     "Protecting ground and surface water from further contamination is a priority," said Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) Commissioner Ralph Marquez. "Adding these sites to the federal Superfund list will guarantee that the resources necessary to clean up these sites will be available."

     The Garland Creosoting Company began manufacturing creosote-treated wood products at its 12-acre site in 1960. Hazardous substances used in the wood-treating process have contaminated on-site soil, ground water underlying the site and nearby surface waters.

     Shortly after the Garland Creosoting Company filed for bankruptcy in early 1997, the TNRCC performed an emergency response action to remove unprotected drums of hazardous materials and to prevent the spread of toxic chemicals from the site into nearby Iron Bridge Creek.

     The site poses a threat to public health because rainwater runoff could carry contamination from the chemical-saturated soil into Iron Bridge Creek and, less than 2 miles downstream, into the Sabine River. Both streams are popular fishing areas.

     The State Road 114 Ground Water Plume is a plume of contamination about a mile wide and extending west to east along W. State Highway 114 in the Ogallala Aquifer west of Levelland.

     Toxic chemicals have been detected in 30 ground water wells and residents have been advised that water from these wells should not be used. TNRCC and EPA have worked together to install and maintain filtering systems for 20 of these wells. Because the city's water wells are down gradient from the contaminated plume, they are considered at risk for contamination.

     Additional information about these sites is available on the EPA web sites at https://www.epa.gov/oerrpage/superfund/sites/npl/nar1569.htm (Garland Creosoting) and https://www.epa.gov/oerrpage/superfund/sites/npl/nar1571.htm (State Road 114).