The Sand Springs Petrochemical Complex sits on 235 acres along the northern bank of the Arkansas River in Sand Springs, Tulsa County, Oklahoma. Industrial operations there date to the early 1900s and continued through 1983. The site was added to the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) in 1986 and deleted in 2000 after cleanup was finished. Seventeen businesses now operate on-site, employing 224 people and generating about $186 million in annual sales revenue.
Contamination affects soil, groundwater, lagoon surface water, and lagoon sludge. Key contaminants include benzene, chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethylene and vinyl chloride, and metals including arsenic, lead, chromium, barium, cadmium, and mercury. The lagoons also contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzo(a)pyrene, along with toluene, phthalate esters, and other compounds. EPA identified more than 30 substances of concern in total.
Cleanup was carried out in phases from 1991 through 1997. Actions included excavating contaminated materials, thermally destroying them, and placing over 206,500 cubic yards of stabilized waste in an 8-acre landfill covered with a protective cap. A removal action from 2004 to 2006 excavated about 30,689 cubic yards of contaminated riverbank materials found during routine monitoring. BP/Atlantic Richfield Company (BP/ARCO) continues to manage the site. That includes regular landfill inspections, operation of a leachate collection system installed in 2018, and annual groundwater monitoring. Most contaminant levels are stable or declining. Arsenic has increased in some monitoring wells but remains below protective thresholds and does not affect drinking water sources, since neither the Arkansas River nor local groundwater is used for drinking.
The site achieved Site-Wide Ready for Anticipated Use status in 2011. Institutional controls remain active. A Notice of Remediation filed in 2014 restricts residential use, schools, and edible agriculture on the Glenn Wynn portion of the site. Groundwater use restrictions prohibit water supply wells in the upper 37 feet of depth. A 6-foot security fence surrounds the landfill. The EPA completed its Sixth Five-Year Review on April 29, 2025, confirming the remedy protects human health and the environment. The review identified four recommendations, including coordinating with the Army Corps of Engineers on a planned levee project, monitoring land use changes, evaluating future groundwater monitoring needs, and characterizing light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) found in monitoring well MW-104.
Community members can read the 2025 Five-Year Review Report online or at the Ralph Ellison Library in Oklahoma City. For questions, contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. For state-related questions, contact the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.
