LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A University of Louisville student’s research project has resulted in the city of Louisville dedicating $60,000 to investigate a decades old chemical-waste site.
Far away from any hiking trail at Jefferson Memorial Forest are the remnants of a tainted past. The “Gully of the Drums” as it came to be known, is the former site of a chemical waste stockpile.
“The site itself is not on a trail. It’s located off trail,” Samantha Satterly explained. The Gully of the Drums dates back to the 1960s when it was on private land but also not far from a much larger operation which would come to be known as the Valley of the Drums. “And you can see this is the Paul Yost Recreation area where we are. And just north of that is the Gully.”
Louisville infamously was the site of one the Environmental Protection Agency’s largest chemical cleanup operations more than 50 years ago. It was where the region’s largest manufacturers could dispose of hazardous waste materials. Thousands of barrels of chemical waste were collected on private land just over the Jefferson County line into Bullitt County. This massive site and subsequent cleanup operation was referred to as the Valley of the Drums.
Satterly believes the Gully was not a separate site but was merely the northernmost point of this chemical depository. “If you ever look at historical pictures of this, I mean, you’re talking about 17,000 drums just on the surface of the site, not counting what was buried. And of course, the EPA became involved because it was found that those drums were leaking contaminants into nearby Wilson Creek,” she explained.
The federally orchestrated cleanup of the larger site lasted years and the state still performs soil testing and reports its findings to the EPA as part of the ongoing mitigation. Visiting the former site of the Valley of the Drums and you see a wide-open green space but further north, and crossing into Jefferson County is where Satterly has focused her attention.
The Gully of the Drums is several hundred yards north, in a wooded area where no trails go. There, half buried, rusted barrels scatter the landscape. The Gully of the Drums has been the basis of Satterly’s master’s thesis at the University of Louisville.
Last November she made her first visit to the lesser-known site. “Walking on the surface felt very springy, which didn’t seem natural, kind of made me concerned there was more underneath the surface,” shed said.
In the late 1980s, the area encompassing the Gully was gifted to the city and became part of Jefferson Memorial Forest. Over the years, there have been attempts or pledges to remove the remaining barrels but no follow through.
Now, with Satterly’s research and advocacy, there’s new hope Louisville may finally close the chapter on the Gully of the Drums.
“Councilman Dan Seum of this district, District 13, proposed the resolution and I do want to express my gratitude to him. He is 100% on board with the investigation,” Satterly said.
In June Louisville Metro Council approved a resolution hiring Shield Environmental Associates to test the site within Jefferson Memorial Forest, and determine if harmful levels of chemicals are still affecting the environment. “What is most concerning is what is buried, and that is what Shield’s investigation will look into,” Satterly explained.
It’s true the Gully of the Drums lies far away from any area a park visitor may travel, but for Satterly, ignoring it would go against any pledge of stewardship. “All of the forest matters,” Satterly said.
The Louisville Metro Council has agreed to pay Shield Environmental Associates no more than $68,000 to investigate the Gully of the Drums with a target completion date set for September.