U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

vvEPA

Environmental! Investigation of
Koppers Drive and Bailey Road Community Area

Grenada, Mississippi

Fact Sheet #9

July 2021

Introduction

In the fall of 2020, the EPA oversaw soil and sediment sampling by Koppers Inc./Beazer East, Inc. along Koppers Drive
and Bailey Road in Grenada, Mississippi. This sampling event followed more limited sampling along Koppers Drive in
September 2018 which suggested further investigation was warranted to determine whether contaminants may have
been released from the nearby Koppers/Beazer East facility into the surrounding community. The contaminants of
concern include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dioxins from past wood-treating operations. No
contaminants were detected above health protective levels in any of the samples collected in the fall of 2020, and
no further actions are planned.

This fact sheet provides more detail about the last sampling event, and the full sampling report is posted online at:

www.epa.gov/ms.

Koppers

Figure 1: Samples collected along Koppers Drive and Bailey Road


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Sampling Overview

The EPA approved the sampling work plan on March 5, 2020. Before sampling, the EPA obtained property access
authorizations from the residents of Koppers Drive and Bailey Road, as well as the appropriate City and County officials
for sampling along drainage ditches. The EPA personnel were present during this sampling effort that took place
between September 28 and October 4, 2020.

The sampling included:

•	Soil samples (0-6 inches deep) from all residential parcels that provided site access agreements, except one;

•	Soil/sediment samples (0-6 inches deep) from drainage ditches (8 locations) within the City's right of way on
Koppers Drive; and

•	Soil/sediment samples (0-6 inches deep) from drainage ditches (2 locations) within the City's and Grenada
County's rights of way on Bailey Road.

Sampling areas are shown in Figure 1. Figure 2 below shows an example of soil/sediment sampling location at the
drainage ditch. All samples were analyzed for PAHs and dioxins.

Results

The EPA received the Sampling Report on June 15, 2021 and approved it on June 29, 2021. PAHs were detected below
or within the EPA risk range using appropriate exposure inputs in the samples collected from all locations. Dioxins were
detected below or within the EPA risk range using appropriate exposure inputs in the samples collected from all
locations. All detected concentrations of contaminants were below or within the EPA target risk range based on
appropriate exposure inputs and are therefore protective of human health and the environment. No further action is
planned.

Next Steps

Based on the results outlined above, the EPA has determined that further sampling and evaluation of the Koppers Drive
and Bailey Road community area are not needed at this time. The EPA sent result letters to residents/property owners,
City and County Officials and will also contact them to discuss the results and answer questions. Documents associated
with this sampling will be placed in the information repository at the Elizabeth Jones Library, located at 1050 Fairfield
Ave, Grenada, Mississippi 38901.

Contact

If you have any questions regarding this fact sheet or sampling effort, please contact:

Harbhajan Singh, at (404) 562-8473 or at singh.harbhaian@epa.gov.


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