Saunders Supply Co.

Overview

Saunders Supply Co. is a 7-acre former wood-treating plant in Chuckatuck, Suffolk County, Virginia. It operated from 1964 to 1984, leaving behind soil and groundwater contaminated with arsenic, chromium, copper, pentachlorophenol (PCP), and dioxins. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) on October 4, 1989. The NPL is the federal list of hazardous waste sites that qualify for long-term cleanup funding and oversight.

Contamination affected soil, groundwater, sludge, and liquid waste across the site. Groundwater in the shallow Columbia aquifer flows toward Godwin's Mill Pond, a drinking water source for more than 30,000 Suffolk residents. A nearby freshwater wetland may also be at risk. A 2016 evaluation found dioxin in soil on two adjacent commercially used parcels at levels that could pose a health risk if those parcels are ever developed for residential use. That dioxin contamination is managed through an Engineered Soil Deed notice, which restricts how the land can be used.

EPA selected a cleanup plan in September 1991. Key steps included removing contaminated pond sediments, treating contaminated soils, and installing extraction wells to capture polluted groundwater. EPA updated the plan in 1996 to use off-site incineration instead of thermal desorption. A groundwater collection and treatment system was built in April 1998. In January 2024, EPA carried out additional soil removal to address subsurface PCP contamination that was feeding into groundwater. Construction of the cleanup is now complete across the entire site. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has operated and maintained the groundwater treatment system since July 2009. EPA's 2024 Five-Year Review found the remedy is currently protective of human health and the environment. Long-term protection depends on meeting cleanup goals, and the next five-year review is scheduled for December 2029.

The site has remained economically active throughout cleanup. Saunders Supply Company continued running its wholesale lumberyard on the property during remediation and still operates today, along with a nearby hardware store and the adjacent Kelly Nursery. As of December 2024, three on-site businesses employed 10 people and generated about $2.38 million in annual sales. The site was certified as ready for anticipated reuse in September 2011, though it has not yet been deleted from the NPL.

Community members who want to stay informed or get involved can review cleanup documents at the Suffolk Public Library Chuckatuck Branch or at the EPA Region 3 office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Those visiting the EPA office should call ahead at (215) 814-2396 to schedule an appointment. For direct questions, residents can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.