Taylor Lumber and Treating

Overview

Taylor Lumber and Treating is a former wood-treating plant in Sheridan, Oregon that operated from about 1946 to 2001. It was added to the EPA's National Priorities List in 2001. The site covers 40 acres and is now an active manufacturing facility producing transmission poles, utility poles, and laminated beams.

The facility used creosote and pentachlorophenol (PCP) to preserve wood. Spills contaminated soil and groundwater on and around the property. EPA identified 20 contaminants of concern across groundwater, soil, and sediment. These include heavy metals such as arsenic, chromium, antimony, and manganese, as well as organic compounds like PCP, naphthalene, and several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Aroclor 1254, a former industrial chemical, was found in soil.

Major cleanup work ran from 2007 to 2010. Workers excavated contaminated soils from five acres, installed an underground slurry wall, built a groundwater extraction and treatment system, and laid a new low-permeability asphalt cap over contaminated areas. Removal actions in 2004 and 2005 had already cleared contaminated soils from roadside ditches and a residential yard. The current site operator, McFarland Cascade Holdings (a Stella-Jones Corporation company), is required to operate the groundwater treatment system, maintain the asphalt cap, and submit annual environmental audit reports to EPA. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) oversees long-term groundwater monitoring and conducts annual inspections of the cap. Non-industrial use of the property is prohibited, and residential development is not allowed.

EPA's 2022 Five-Year Review found that the remedy is not protective. Contaminant migration remains uncontrolled and poses an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment. PCP concentrations in groundwater remain above the maximum contaminant level (MCL), and monitoring suggests performance standards will not be met in the foreseeable future. Note that one source states human exposure is currently under control across the entire site, while another states the remedy is not protective and poses an unacceptable risk to human health. A new remedial investigation and feasibility study for the site began in January 2023, with completion estimated between December 2027 and February 2028. The site remains on the National Priorities List.

Community members who want to learn more can review the 2022 Five-Year Review report, which is publicly available. Site documents, including an administrative record, can be viewed at the Sheridan Public Library at 142 NW Yamhill Street in Sheridan, Oregon. Questions can be directed to EPA or Oregon DEQ staff assigned to the site.