The Newsom Brothers/Old Reichhold Chemicals site is a former industrial property in Columbia, Mississippi. The facility operated from the 1930s through 1977, producing wood derivatives and processing chemicals. That work left groundwater, soil, and sediment contaminated with hazardous substances across the 81-acre property. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL), its roster of priority Superfund sites, in June 1986. Residential areas, including low-income and minority communities, border the site to the north, east, and south.
Contaminants at the site include benzene, toluene, xylene, and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Metals such as arsenic, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel, and zinc have also been detected. Additional substances include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pentachlorophenol, phenol, phthalates, chloroform, and dioxins and dibenzofurans. These contaminants appear across different areas of the site, which are organized into separate cleanup zones called operable units.
EPA and potentially responsible parties (PRPs) carried out cleanup between 1984 and 1999. Early work included removing 600 drums and draining two on-site ponds in 1984, followed by removal of 1,920 tons of contaminated soil and thousands of additional drums by 1989. Cleanup plans for different operable units were finalized in 1989 and 1997. The 1997 plan for the North Pond area determined no active cleanup was needed for groundwater, but required a three-year monitoring program. PRPs completed that program in 1999, and EPA along with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality confirmed groundwater contamination did not threaten people or the environment. EPA deleted the site from the NPL in September 2000 after determining all required cleanup under federal law was complete.
Human exposure at the site is under control. EPA has determined there are no unacceptable exposure pathways and that contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. All cleanup goals for current and anticipated future land uses have been met. The site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in May 2013, and commercial land uses are now operating on the property.
During cleanup, EPA engaged the community through public notices, interviews, and public meetings. The agency also provided a Technical Assistance Grant to Jesus People Against Pollution (JPAP), a local community group, to support their involvement in site decisions. No further cleanup activities or five-year reviews are planned, but the site's profile page remains available for historical reference. Questions can be directed to Remedial Project Manager Porcha Robinson.
