Woodbury Chemical Co. operated a pesticide production facility on a 15-acre property in Commerce City, Colorado, from the late 1950s until 1971. The site sits near roughly 3,000 workers and residents within a one-mile radius, with a mobile home park about one-third of a mile away. After cleanup was completed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removed it from the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 1993, making it a deleted NPL site cleared for unrestricted use.
Site operations and waste disposal left soil, groundwater, and debris contaminated with more than 80 hazardous substances. Heavy metals found on the site include lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, zinc, barium, vanadium, and manganese. Pesticides and pesticide residues include aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, chlordane, DDT and related compounds, heptachlor, toxaphene, and malathion. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detected in groundwater include trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, chloroform, toluene, and acetone, among others.
Cleanup was organized into two operable units (OUs). Operable Unit 1 addressed rubble piles through excavation, offsite incineration, and residuals treatment. Operable Unit 2 addressed the McKesson area using excavation, offsite disposal, offsite incineration, and revegetation. Both units completed remedial action by July 1992, and overall site construction finished in March 1992. The site was deleted from the NPL in March 1993 and achieved sitewide readiness for anticipated reuse in April 2007.
Human exposure is currently under control. Assessments show no unacceptable exposure pathways across the site. Physical construction of the cleanup is complete, all cleanup goals for current and reasonably anticipated future land uses have been met, and required land-use controls are in place. The main health risks were from ingesting or touching contaminated soil or debris.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA Remedial Project Manager. Site documents are available through the EPA Superfund Records Center at 1595 Wynkoop Street in Denver. Copies of administrative record documents can be requested by calling 303-312-7273 or 800-227-8917, extension 312-7273 (toll free for EPA Region 8 only). More information about reuse of this and similar sites is available through EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Program.
