Red Panther Chemical Company ran a pesticide formulation plant in Clarksdale, Mississippi from 1949 to 1996. The EPA added it to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2011 after contaminated soil was found both on the plant property and in nearby residential areas. Sampling that began in 2005 found pesticide contamination in surface soil at 26 homes in the 18th Street neighborhood, with levels at 11 of those homes exceeding long-term health-risk standards.
Cleanup started well before the NPL listing. Responsible parties began removal work in 2002 under EPA oversight, pulling out more than 7,400 tons of contaminated soil and 233,000 pounds of tank sludges from on-site storage tanks. That sitewide removal action ran through July 2005. A formal remedial investigation for Operable Unit 1 followed, running from 2017 to 2018. The EPA and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) oversaw all of these activities.
Based on the investigation results, the EPA issued a Proposed Plan in May 2019 recommending no further action. The agency held a public meeting in Clarksdale on May 21, 2019, and gathered input from MDEQ and the community before finalizing the decision. The Record of Decision, issued in August 2019, confirmed that no additional cleanup work was needed. Construction was completed in June 2020, and the site was deleted from the NPL in September 2020. It carries a designation of Unlimited Use and Unrestricted Exposure, meaning the property can be used without any restrictions. Human exposure is under control, groundwater migration is under control, and all cleanup goals have been met.
Today, a warehouse for agricultural products operates on the property. Community members with questions can contact the EPA staff assigned to the site, or visit the public records at Carnegie Public Library at 114 Delta Avenue in Clarksdale.
