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Woolfolk Chemical Works, Inc. 

NPL Site Narrative for Woolfolk Chemical Works, 

Inc. 

WOOLFOLK CHEMICAL WORKS, INC. 

Fort Valley, Georgia 

Federal Register Notice: August 30, 1990

Conditions at proposal (June 24, 1988): The Woolfolk Chemical Works, Inc., Site covers 18 

acres near the center of Fort Valley, Peach County, Georgia. The company began operation in 1910 

as a lime-sulfur plant and has evolved into a full-line pesticide plant formulating pesticides in liquid, 

dust, and granular forms for the agricultural, lawn, and garden markets. The methods of handling 

these products over the years have resulted in extensive contamination at the site. Tests conducted 

by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division in 1985 and 1986 detected metals and pesticides, 

including lead, arsenic, chlordane, DDT, lindane, and toxaphene, in on-site soil and ground water, 

and in an open ditch south of the plant. 

Three of the five Fort Valley municipal water supply wells are within 1,000 feet of the facility. The 

system is the sole source of water in the area. Late in 1986, EPA found arsenic and lead in two of 

the wells at levels below Federal drinking water standards. An estimated 10,000 people obtain 

drinking water from municipal wells within 3 miles of the site. 

State records indicate numerous instances where untreated industrial waste was discharged into 

surface waters. During a routine inspection in 1979, EPA discovered that the facility was 

discharging unauthorized waste water from the production of the pesticide dichlorobromopropane 

into Bay Creek. Records indicate that the majority of the waste waters were discharged into a storm 

sewer on the site. These effluents would flow into an open ditch located south of the plant and then 

into Big Indian Creek. 

The company has changed hands several times. The current owner, Security Lawn and Garden 

Products Co., acquired the operation in 1984 from Canadyne-Georgia Corp., which operated the 

facility during 1977-84. In 1986-87, Canadyne capped one area of contamination and removed 

some contaminated soil to a hazardous waste facility regulated under Subtitle C of the Resource 

Conservation and Recovery Act. 

Status (August 30, 1990): On April 24, 1990, EPA and Canadyne-Georgia Corp. signed an 

Administrative Order on Consent under which the company will conduct a remedial 

investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site 

and identify alternatives for remedial action. The company will shortly submit an RI/FS workplan to 

EPA for review. 

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, 

including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human 

health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR 

ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 

1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737. 

National Priorities List (NPL)

Last updated on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009.

http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/nar442.htm

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http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/nar442.htm 12/3/2009