EUGENE – Oregon DEQ Director Leah Feldon on Tuesday joined Casey Sixkiller – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 Administrator – to celebrate milestones for the J.H. Baxter cleanup in west Eugene.
Earlier this month, the EPA proposed the addition of J.H. Baxter to the Superfund National Priorities List. This past June, DEQ finished the cleanup of seven residential properties north of the facility, a wood treatment plant that had been in operation from the early 1940s until 2022. Dioxins leaked from the facility contaminated nearby yards.
“These contaminated yards were where people gardened, and children played,” Feldon said. “The people living at these seven properties can now feel safe spending time in their yards again.”
The J.H. Baxter cleanup is one of the largest residential cleanups DEQ has undertaken, and there is still more work to come in the neighborhood, with additional yards expected to undergo similar cleanup efforts in the future.
EPA also started a time critical removal action, or cleanup, at the J.H. Baxter site on Aug. 5 to address chemicals left at the facility. After stopping operations, the company left more than 500,000 gallons of chemicals in tanks, drums and other containers.
Sixkiller gave an update on the cleanup and underscored the importance of the proposed Superfund listing. When material is disposed, EPA converts numbers from gallons to pounds. There is an estimated 6.5 million pounds of hazardous waste at the J.H. Baxter facility, including chemicals and contaminated building structures that will need to be removed. So far, EPA has disposed of 1 million pounds of chemicals. Sixkiller gave an update on the cleanup efforts and underscored the importance of the proposed Superfund listing.
“We are here, we are bringing resources, and we will be here until the job is done,” he said. “It will take some time, but we’re here for the long haul.”
He also highlighted how EPA and DEQ are working together.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you to the state of Oregon for your partnership,” Sixkiller said.
West Eugene residents who have taken part in the Community Engagement Core Team since December 2020 were also at Tuesday’s event. The team is composed of officials from the involved agencies, residents and business owners, community organizers and environmental advocates. Director Feldon noted that their voices have been invaluable to the process.
The Community Engagement Core Team will remain engaged as EPA continues to study the extent of contamination in the neighborhood.
The potential Superfund listing has Lin Woodrich, co-chair of the Active Bethel Community, looking forward with optimism. She was glad for the neighborhood to have the attention of leadership at EPA and DEQ. “We’ve worked really hard to get to this point,” Woodrich said.
Part of EPA’s decision process for Superfund listing is providing time and opportunity for public comment. The 60-day public comment period for this proposed listing opened in early September and closes on Nov. 4. EPA will take into consideration public comments when making a determination whether to finalize the site on the Superfund National Priorities List. If you would like to submit a comment, visit EPA’s Current NPL Updates web page and click on “Comment now on J.H. Baxter.” The web page includes links to more information about EPA’s project.
For more information about Baxter from DEQ, visit ordeq.org/JHBaxter.
By Dylan Darling, DEQ Public Affairs Specialist
