The Central Wood Preserving Co. site covers 17 acres in Slaughter, East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. Wood-treating operations ran there from the 1950s until the company closed in 1991, using creosote and copper chromated arsenic as preservatives. Spills and poor containment left contamination in soil, sediment, and groundwater. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in May 1999 and deleted it in September 2009 after cleanup was finished.
EPA identified 14 contaminants of concern in soil and sediment. The metals arsenic, chromium, copper, and manganese were found on site. So were nine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a group of chemicals that form during incomplete burning. These include benzo(a)pyrene, naphthalene, chrysene, fluoranthene, and several others. EPA determined these substances posed unacceptable risk to human health and the environment.
Cleanup work included excavating contaminated soil and sediment, treating it with thermal desorption on site, disposing of waste off site, and monitoring groundwater. Construction ran from July 2003 to September 2004. Long-term groundwater monitoring concluded in 2005 after one year showed no exceedances. Institutional controls, including deed notices and easements, restrict land use on the North Property to prevent exposure to contamination that remains below 5 feet in depth. Annual inspections are conducted by Louisiana's Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ).
The most recent Five-Year Review, finalized on March 11, 2024, confirmed that the cleanup remains protective of human health and the environment. No issues were found that affect how well the remedy works. Human exposure is under control across the entire site, and contaminated groundwater has not spread beyond its original area. The next Five-Year Review is planned for March 2029. Today, the North Property serves as a staging area for hurricane and storm debris managed by East Feliciana Parish, and the South Property is used for materials storage. The East Feliciana Parish Police Jury partnered with EPA on the redevelopment, which also included planting trees and grasses on the property.
Community members can review the 2024 Five-Year Review Report online or at the Audubon Regional Library Clinton Branch in Clinton, Louisiana, or at the LDEQ office in Baton Rouge. The public may also participate in future Five-Year Review processes. Contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager for questions about the site.
