The J.H. Baxter & Co. site covers 205 acres in Weed, California, and has been used for wood treatment operations since 1937. It was placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) in October 1989 and removed in January 2009 after remedial construction finished in September 2001. The site is also known by other names, including Roseburg Forest Products and Baxter International Paper.
Contaminants of concern include arsenic, benzene, chromium, copper, zinc, pentachlorophenol, tetrachlorophenol, ethylbenzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), carcinogenic PAHs, dioxins and dibenzofurans, and dibenzofuran. These substances have been found in soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment. Before cleanup, people faced health risks from accidentally ingesting, inhaling, or touching contaminated groundwater, soil, surface water, sediments, and dust. Beaughton Creek was also contaminated with creosote.
Cleanup has used a range of methods. Workers excavated contaminated soils and treated organic contaminants in lined biological treatment cells. Inorganic contaminants went through chemical fixation. A slurry wall contains a creosote dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) zone. Asphaltic concrete covers protect certain surface soils from direct contact. Bioventing treats subsurface soils, and a pump-and-treat system addresses contaminated groundwater. Treated soils are disposed of in lined containment cells on site. Land use covenants restrict future uses of the property and prohibit use of impacted groundwater. The long-term remedy was first selected in 1990 and then updated in 1998 and 2001.
Human exposure is currently under control, groundwater migration is stabilized, and the site is ready for its anticipated use. Two businesses now operate on site, employing 9 people and generating roughly $830,000 in annual sales. Groundwater monitoring and operation and maintenance activities remain ongoing, and five-year reviews are conducted regularly to confirm the remedy stays protective. The most recent five-year review, completed in 2025, confirmed the site continues to protect human health and the environment.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator. Site documents, including 27 key documents and 6 five-year review reports, can be reviewed at the EPA Regional Records Center in San Francisco at 75 Hawthorne Street, Room 3110, or by calling 415-947-8717.
