The Rentokil, Inc. Virginia Wood Preserving Division operated on a 10-acre site in Richmond, Virginia from 1957 to 1990. The plant used pentachlorophenol (PCP), creosote, and chromated copper and zinc arsenate compounds. Waste fluids discharged into an open earthen pit from 1957 to 1963 contaminated soil, groundwater, surface water, sediment, sludge, and debris. EPA placed the site on its National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989, at which time roughly 1,500 people lived within one mile of it.
Thirty contaminants of concern have been identified at the site. Metals include arsenic, chromium, copper, and zinc. Organic compounds include benzene, toluene, xylene, styrene, ethylbenzene, and PCP. Additional contaminants include phenol and its derivatives, benzoic acid, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxins, dibenzofurans, furan, pesticides, and base neutral acids. These chemicals were found across all major media at the site.
Cleanup began in 1991 with equipment removal. A Record of Decision (ROD) was issued in 1993 and amended in 1996. Work included demolishing structures, excavating contaminated material, building a slurry wall, installing a dewatering system, restoring wetlands, and completing a protective cap in August 1999. A second phase from 2016 to 2018 extended the cap and slurry wall northward to cover an additional 1.5 acres of PCP-impacted soil. Physical construction is now complete across the entire site. A partial deletion from the NPL occurred in 2009. EPA completed its Fifth Five-Year Review in June 2023 and determined the remedy is protective of human health and the environment. Human exposure is under control, and contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. A Restrictive Covenant, in place since 2005 and amended in 2019, prohibits residential development, groundwater use, and disturbance of the cap. EPA has also determined that vapor intrusion does not pose a risk at the site. The next five-year review is estimated for June through August 2028.
Community members can review site documents online or in person at the Tuckahoe Area Library in Henrico County or at the EPA Region 3 office in Philadelphia, with appointments required at both locations. The EPA's community involvement process encourages early and meaningful participation in Superfund cleanups. For specific questions, community members can contact the EPA staff assigned to the site. More information on contaminant health effects is available from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a division of the CDC.
