Chevron Chemical Company ran a pesticide and herbicide plant at this Tifton, Georgia site from 1950 to 1970. Other companies, including Marzone Chemical Company, operated there until 1983. Those operations left pesticides, solvents, and heavy metals in soil, sediment, and groundwater. The EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1989.
Contaminants include DDT compounds, dieldrin, endosulfan, heptachlor epoxide, toxaphene, chlordane, lindane, ethylbenzene, xylene, lead, cadmium, copper, beryllium, nickel, and nitrate, among more than 40 identified substances. These affect soil, groundwater, sediment, and surface water across two cleanup areas called operable units.
Cleanup work has involved removing contaminated soil and sediment, installing a funnel-and-gate system to treat groundwater in the source area, and using monitored natural attenuation in the interim action area. Groundwater use restrictions are in place at both units. Fencing surrounds the northern, western, and eastern sides of the property, and the surrounding community is connected to public water. Potentially responsible parties continue to fund cleanup and monitoring at the source area. A second round of investigation for the interim action area began in December 2023, with completion estimated between April and June 2028.
The EPA's 2022 Five-Year Review found that cleanup currently protects human health and the environment in the short term. For long-term protection, additional groundwater institutional controls are needed, and enhancements to groundwater remedies may also be required. The status of groundwater migration has not been determined due to insufficient data on whether contaminated groundwater is stabilized. Cleanup construction is not yet complete. The next Five-Year Review is estimated for 2027.
Community members can get involved through public notices, public meetings, and interviews conducted by the EPA. Questions can be directed to the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Site records are available at the Tifton-Tift County Library at One Library Lane in Tifton, Georgia.
