The Cecil Lindsey site covers 5.2 acres in Newport, Arkansas. It operated as a salvage and waste disposal facility from the early 1970s through the 1980s. The community of Diaz also used part of the property as a municipal dump. Those activities left contamination in soil, sediment, groundwater, and surface water.
EPA identified 13 contaminants of concern at the site. Named contaminants include arsenic, benzene, beryllium, chloroethene (vinyl chloride), ethylbenzene, lead, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These were found in both solid waste and groundwater across the site. Offsite contamination was also detected in surface water and sediment in Village Creek.
EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. A remedial investigation and feasibility study ran from September 1983 to April 1986, leading to a cleanup decision that same month. The selected remedy for the one sitewide operable unit included engineering controls and offsite disposal of contaminated material. Cleanup activities ran from April 1987 through March 1989 and included removing and disposing of drums, restricting site access, and installing groundwater monitoring wells.
EPA deleted the site from the NPL in September 1989, meaning cleanup goals had been met. Human exposure is currently under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways identified. Contaminated groundwater has stabilized in its original area, and EPA conducts monitoring to confirm it stays in place. The site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in August 2012, meaning all cleanup goals have been met for current and reasonably anticipated future land uses.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA staff assigned to the site. Public records related to Superfund work at this site are available at the Jackson County Library, located at 213 Walnut Street in Newport, Arkansas.
