5/5/03 - REFERRAL SENT TO DOJ.
This referral requests that the U.S. Department of Justice file a complaint and lodge the proposed Consent Decree for entry into the Eastern District of North Carolina. This Consent Decree addresses the Remedial Design and Remedial Actions ( RD/RA ) to be taken by Weyerhaeuser at the Former Landfill No. 1, a/k/a Operable Unit 1 ( OU-1 ) of the Weyerhaeuser Company Plymouth Wood Treating Plant Superfund Site, in North Carolina ( Site ).
The Site currently consists of four Operable Units, three of which (including OU-1) the Potentially Responsible Party, Weyerhaeuser Company, agreed to do the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) for in an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) in March of 1998. EPA issued the Record for Decision for OU-1 on March 25, 2002. Currently the fund lead RI/FS for the Roanoke River (OU-2) is being conducted, and Weyerhaeuser continues to work on the RI/FS for Welch Creek (OU-4).
The Former Landfill occupies approximately 97 acres of the Site. It became operational in the mid-1950s, and was closed in the early 1980s. Materials disposed of in the landfill include bark, sawdust, lime grits, and waste paper. Additionally, spent materials containing mercury generated at the Former Chlorine Plant were disposed of in the landfill. In 1981, Weyerhaeuser received permission from the State of North Carolina (the State ) to close the Former Landfill. As part of the closure, the landfill was covered