Community Meeting Dec. 2023 Update on OU2 Contaminated Soil Cleanup at Kerr-McGee Superfund Site
NAVASSA, N.C. (December 4, 2023) – The Multistate Environmental Response Trust (Multistate Trust), together with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), is holding a community meeting and drop-in information session on Thursday, December 7 to discuss the cleanup of contaminated soil soon to begin at the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp – Navassa Superfund Site (Site).
The cleanup of contaminated surface soil at the ±16-acre Operable Unit 2 (OU2) area and hiring and training opportunities for local individuals and businesses to perform the work will be among several discussion topics. The meeting will also serve as the EPA Remedial Action kickoff meeting. Updates will also be shared on the upcoming sale of ±87 acres owned by the Multistate Trust.
Thursday, December 7, 2023
· Community Meeting: 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. In person and virtual.
· Drop-in Session: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. In person only.
Location: Navassa Community Center, 338 Main Street, Navassa
Join the meeting by Zoom or phone
· Online: Use this Zoom link or enter tinyurl.com/NavassaMeetings into a browser.
· Phone: Call (301) 715-8592. Use meeting ID 946 584 8922 and passcode 664564.
For More Information
· December 7, 2023 Community Meeting and Drop-In Session flyer
· August 29, 2023 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
Operable Unit 2 Work
OU2 consists of ±16 acres once part of the treated and untreated wood storage areas used when Kerr-McGee and its predecessors treated wood with creosote at the Site. The Multistate Trust is preparing to excavate contaminated surface soil and store it in the OU4 area in temporary stockpiles to be covered and managed. The stockpiled soils are expected to be reused or consolidated into the future cleanup of OU4. Material that cannot be stored on-site will be recycled or disposed off-site in accordance with state and federal laws. The OU2 work is expected to take 3–4 months to complete. Once the remediation is finished, OU2 will be available for unrestricted use, with no long-term monitoring required. Read the OU2 fact sheet.
Site Background
From 1936 to 1974, Kerr-McGee and its predecessors used creosote to treat wood for railroad ties, utility poles, and pilings. The wood treating facility operated on approximately 70 acres of the ±246-acre former Kerr-McGee property along the Brunswick River at Sturgeon Creek. In 1980, Kerr-McGee decommissioned and dismantled the wood-treatment buildings and facilities.
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 of federal Superfund sites. Site contamination does not currently threaten people living or working near the Superfund Site.
In 2011, the Multistate Trust acquired ±152 acres of the former Kerr-McGee property as a court-appointed trustee selected to own, manage, and remediate the Site and facilitate safe, beneficial Site reuse, as part of the Tronox bankruptcy settlement. In 2016, the Multistate Trust purchased an additional two acres.
The Multistate Trust is working with its beneficiaries—EPA and NCDEQ—on Site investigation, remediation and reuse planning of the ±100-acre Superfund Site. In 2021, EPA issued a Record of Decision explaining that the selected remedy for the ±20-acre OU1 is no action. OU1’s subsequent deletion from EPA’s National Priorities List cleared the way for OU1’s future return to productive reuse.
In 2022, EPA signed the OU2 Record of Decision (here) selecting removal, on-site reuse/consolidation and off-site disposal as the OU2 remedy. As part of the Multistate Trust’s effort to invest cleanup funds in the local economy wherever possible, a robust search and bid process resulted in the approval of two local firms to perform the OU2 work.
Together, the local companies will be responsible for grubbing and clearing, logging, excavation, hauling, and Site security, among other tasks. Both firms are committed to supporting the local economy in Navassa. Following completion of the cleanup work, OU2 will be suitable for any future land use, and EPA will propose deleting OU2 from the National Priorities List.
Greenfield Environmental Multistate Trust LLC is trustee of the Multistate Trust.