Additional Cleanup of Contaminated Soil and Debris in OU2 to Be Discussed at July 10 Community Meeting
NAVASSA, N.C. (July 7, 2025) – Representatives of the Multistate Environmental Response Trust (Multistate Trust), with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), are hosting a July 10 community meeting to discuss the additional cleanup of contaminated soil and debris this fall in Operable Unit 2 (OU2) of the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp – Navassa Superfund Site (Site).
Additional meeting topics will include: the upcoming issuance of the proposed cleanup plan for the northern part of Operable Unit 4 (OU4); continuing investigations of contamination in the OU3, OU4, and OU5 areas of the Site; and ongoing work to enable the Multistate Trust’s ±30-acre donation to the Town of Navassa for the Moze Heritage Center and Tidal Restoration Project, including an overview of the conservation easement terms.
Date: Thursday, July 10, 2025
Community Meeting: 6 – 7 p.m., in-person and on Zoom
Drop-in Session: 7 – 8 p.m., in-person only
Location: Navassa Community Center, 338 Main Street, Navassa
Join meeting online: Use this Zoom link or enter tinyurl.com/NavassaMeetings into a browser.
Join meeting by phone: Call (301) 715-8592. Use meeting ID 946 584 8922 and passcode 664564.
The meeting will begin with a presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session. The drop-in session will provide the public an opportunity to speak one-on-one to project representatives, ask questions, and share concerns.
Meeting topics:
• Completed excavation of contaminated surface soils from the planned areas in OU2 (former treated and untreated wood storage area) and subsequent restoration of excavated areas
• Plans in fall 2025 to excavate additional contaminated soil and debris discovered in 2024
• Expected August 2025 issuance of the proposed cleanup plan for the northern portion of OU4 (former pond and process area) and the planned public meeting and comment period
• Ongoing investigations of contamination in marsh sediment (OU3), the former pond and process area (OU4), and groundwater (OU5), including a biosparging pilot study to evaluate whether injecting oxygen into the source area would effectively remediate contamination
• Continuing work on a conservation easement to enable the Multistate Trust’s ±30-acre donation to the Town of Navassa for the Moze Heritage Center and Nature Park and the Moze Heritage Site Tidal Restoration project.
For More Information
July 10, 2025 Community Meeting and Drop-in Session flyer
March 4, 2025 Community Meeting presentation
Multistate Trust website https://navassa.greenfieldenvironmental.com
EPA website www.epa.gov/superfund/kerr-mcgee-chemical-corp
NCDEQ website https://deq.nc.gov
Site Background
From 1936 to 1974, Kerr-McGee and its predecessors used creosote and other chemicals to treat wood for railroad ties, utility poles, and pilings. The wood treating facility operated on ±70 acres along the Brunswick River at Sturgeon Creek. In 1980, Kerr-McGee decommissioned and dismantled the facility and wood-treatment buildings.
In 2010, groundwater, soil, and sediment contamination by creosote-related chemicals led EPA to add the former Kerr-McGee property to the National Priorities List. Site contamination does not currently threaten people living or working near the Site.
The Multistate Trust is a private, independent trust created in 2011 as part of the Tronox bankruptcy settlement to own, manage, and remediate the Site and facilitate its safe, beneficial reuse. In 2011, the Multistate Trust acquired ±152 acres of the ±246 acres that Kerr-McGee formerly owned. The Multistate Trust purchased two more acres in 2016.
The Multistate Trust’s cleanup funds were provided entirely by Tronox through a bankruptcy settlement, not by public or taxpayer dollars. The Tronox funding includes amounts paid by certain Kerr-McGee-affiliated entities and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation to settle a fraudulent conveyance lawsuit filed after Tronox’s bankruptcy.
The Multistate Trust works with its beneficiaries—EPA and NCDEQ—on investigation, remediation, and reuse planning of the Superfund Site. The Trustee of the Multistate Trust is Greenfield Environmental Multistate Trust LLC.