Gurley Pit sits in the Fifteen Mile Bayou floodplain near Edmondson, Arkansas, in Crittenden County. From 1970 to 1975, the Gurley Refining Company dumped secondary oil refining wastes, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead, and zinc, into three pits at the site. Those disposal practices contaminated soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1983. The NPL is the federal government's catalog of the most serious uncontrolled hazardous waste sites in the country.
Thirteen contaminants of concern have been identified at the site. The source area holds barium, lead, zinc, and PCBs in soil, sludge, sediment, liquid waste, and surface water. The groundwater area contains arsenic, cadmium, chromium, iron, lead, manganese, and nickel. EPA selected a cleanup plan in October 1986 for the source area. Workers excavated contaminated material, treated it through solidification and stabilization, and placed roughly 20,000 cubic yards of sludge into a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) compliant landfill on site. RCRA is the federal law governing hazardous waste disposal. Construction ran from November 1992 to September 1994. For groundwater, a separate decision issued in September 1988 determined no further cleanup action was needed.
Human exposure to contamination is under control with no unacceptable exposure pathways remaining. Groundwater migration is stabilized, and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water. EPA deleted the site from the NPL in November 2003. A deed notice filed in Crittenden County in June 2006 requires EPA and state approval before any subsurface work, such as trenching, excavation, or well installation, can take place at the site.
The most recent Five Year Review, completed in September 2022, found that cleanup actions are protective of human health and the environment in the short term. The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment (ADE&E) is carrying out follow-up actions from that review, including updating monitoring plans and adjusting maintenance frequency. The next Five Year Review is scheduled for completion between September and November 2027. Operation and maintenance activities and monitoring continue at the site.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator. The Five Year Review report is available online or in person at the ADE&E office in North Little Rock, which can be reached at (501) 682-0744.
