8682 STATE RD 70, DANIELS TOWNSHIP
Penta Wood Products (PWP), an inactive wood treatment facility, is located 60 miles south of Duluth, Minnesota, and two miles west of the town of Siren, Burnett County, Wisconsin, in the unincorporated town of Daniels in a rural setting on approximately 80 acres of a 120-acre parcel. PWP began operations in 1953 and ceased operations in 1992, due to the inability of the facility to comply with Resource Conversation and Recovery Act (RCRA) drip track regulations. Prior to 1956, wood was treated by dipping poles and timbers into an open tank of pentachlorophenol (PCP) solution or by introducing PCP into the wood under vacuum. In 1956, a pressure-treatment vessel was installed which used a five to seven percent PCP solution in a fuel oil carrier. In 1975, a second pressure process was added which used chemonite, a water-born salt treatment, consisting of arsenate, copper II oxide (ACZA). From over 35 years of operation, PWP had contaminated the site with PCP, and more recently ACZA, by dumping process wastes at various locations on the site, spills, and other poor operating practices. In 1986, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) investigated operations at PWP where a number of chemical spills had reportedly occurred. In 1987, WDNR requested that PWP assess the environmental conditions at the property. A 1987 investigation found that groundwater at the facility was contaminated with PCP. Site Responsibility This site was being addressed through federal action. The State of Wisconsin took over operations of the groundwater treatment system in 2014. The State is currently evaluating the remedy in place to determine if there is an alternative remedy that could be implemented to address the remaining contamination on site. The EPA will continue to work with the State to determine if there is an alternative to addressing the site environmental issues.
63 |
People living within a 1 mile radius |
$46,756 |
Average Income |
28 |
Occupied homes |
No stories have been submitted for this site.
