The plant used creosote and pentachlorophenol to preserve wood. Workers discharged untreated process wastewater directly to the nearby South Fork of the Forked Deer River until 1973, when a levee was built around the facility to contain waste water and surface water runoff. In 1974, the plant installed a wastewater treatment system. The pits created during construction of the levee were used to store treated process water and derivative sludges which often overflowed into the main process area and the river during heavy rains and flooding.
Wetlands lying along both sides of the river support a large variety of wildlife.
Jackson has a population of more than 60,000 people. Several public and private wells are located within a 3-mile radius including a city well field which lies less than 2 miles east of the site. More than 100,000 cubic yards of sludge from the lagoons and treatment areas were solidified, buried and capped with clay as an interim measure. In 1986, EPA treated approximately 225,000 gallons of contaminated water from storage tanks and consolidated 28,000 gallons of oil in one secured tank. At this time, contaminated soils and sludges were transported off-site for incineration.