Wilcox Oil Company Superfund Site

Photo courtesy of Bunny Baker – Bristow Historical Museum

About this Superfund Site

Site Information (click to expand)

Location: near Bristow, Creek County, Oklahoma

Township and Range: N 1/2, NW 1/4 Section 29, Township 16N, Range 9E and SW 1/4, SW 1/4, Section 20, Township 16N, Range 9E

Latitude/Longitude: 35.842328, -96.384387

Site Type: Abandoned Refinery

Area: Approximately 150 acres

National Priorities List: Final Listing Date – December 12, 2013

Current Status: Remedial Investigation

Local Information Repository: City of  Bristow Public Library, 111 West 7th Street, Bristow, OK 74010, phone (918) 367-6562, Library Website

Click to View Interactive Site Map

Contact Information (click to expand)

Lead Agency: EPA

Office: DEQ, Land Protection Division, (405) 702-5100

DEQ Site Project Manager: Todd Downham, (405) 702-5136 or Kelsey Bufford, (405) 702-5184

DEQ Press Contact: Erin Hatfield, (405) 702-7119

Site History/Background (click to expand)

Site History and Background:

The site consists of the former Lorraine/Wilcox Refinery located in Creek County, Oklahoma. The property was utilized by two different refineries with overlapping boundaries from 1915 to 1965. Wilcox operated as a crude oil refinery from the 1920s until 1963. A skimming and cracking plant was constructed in 1929. The main components of the plant consisted of a skimming plant, cracking unit, and re-distillation battery with vapor recovery system and treatment equipment. Wilcox expanded when it acquired the Lorraine Refinery in 1937, which was located adjacent to Wilcox. The two refineries comprise 125 acres. The site includes remnants of former oil refining operations and tank farms.

Regulatory Profile (click to expand)

Regulatory Profile:

  • Sources of Contamination: Contaminated soil, cooling ponds, and numerous tank bottoms
  • Contaminants of Concern: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals
  • Surface Water Impacted: Sand Creek
  • Ground Water Impacted:  Impacts unknown, The site underlain by the Barnsdall Formation.

Read Supporting Documents