Vertac, Inc.

Overview

The Vertac, Inc. site covers 193 acres in Jacksonville, Arkansas, about 15 miles northeast of Little Rock. It operated as a munitions complex during World War II and later produced herbicides and insecticides, including DDT, Agent Orange, and related compounds, from the late 1940s through 1986. EPA added it to the National Priorities List in September 1983. The northern portion has been partially redeveloped, while the southern portion remains fenced and restricted.

Contaminants include dioxins, chlorinated phenols, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), herbicides such as 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, asbestos, toluene, and chlorinated benzenes. These have been found in soil, groundwater, surface water, sludge, and debris. Dioxin levels in soils have reached as high as 2,800 parts per billion, and drummed wastes have tested at 37 parts per million. The site holds roughly 28,440 drums of herbicide production waste and about 20,000 cubic yards of contaminated soils and sediments.

EPA divided cleanup work into six operable units covering a landfill, off-site contamination, soils, an incinerator support area, above-ground structures, and groundwater. Physical construction across the site was completed in August 1998. Onsite groundwater contamination is contained by a French drain and extraction wells within the fractured Atoka Formation. Hercules, the responsible party, operates the groundwater treatment system and continues monitoring under EPA oversight. In the 1990s, residential soils with dioxin above 1,000 parts per trillion were removed. EPA revised that standard down to 51 parts per trillion in 2012. Sampling in 2023 and 2024 found dioxin above that lower level in residential areas not addressed in the 1990s cleanup. EPA and Hercules are working with affected property owners and are finalizing a soil remedial action workplan, with new remedial actions estimated to start between May and July 2027.

In September 2024, EPA determined the site is no longer protective of human health. In September 2025, EPA issued an Explanation of Significant Differences revising the cleanup level for dioxin in residential soils. Human exposure is not currently under control, meaning unsafe contamination levels have been detected and people could reasonably be exposed. Groundwater migration has been stabilized, but not all cleanup goals have been achieved. The site has not been deleted from the National Priorities List.

Community members can review the 2024 Five-Year Review Report, which documents the findings from the protectiveness determination. General questions can go to EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator, and technical questions to the Remedial Project Manager. State-level inquiries can go to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. Media questions should be directed to the EPA Press Office at (214) 665-2200.