Update on Contaminated Soil Cleanup at Operable Unit 2 Area of Navassa Kerr-McGee Superfund Site to Be Shared at Community Meeting June 27

NAVASSA, N.C. (June 20, 2024) – The Multistate Environmental Response Trust (Multistate Trust), in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), is hosting a community meeting and drop-in information session Thursday, June 27 to provide updates on the continuing cleanup of contaminated surface soil at the Operable Unit 2 (OU2) area of the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp – Navassa Superfund Site (Site).

This photo shows soils being excavated from an OU2 parcel and loaded onto a truck for transport and stockpiling in the adjoining OU4 area of the Site.

Additionally, at the meeting and drop-in session, Site team representatives will discuss other topics, including investigations of other areas of the Site, the Moze Center land donation, and the proposed sale of 87 acres owned by the Multistate Trust. 

The OU2 cleanup work that started in March 2024 is anticipated to be complete this summer and is expected to make the ±16-acre OU2 (former treated and untreated wood storage area) suitable for any future use. The OU2 cleanup involves excavating soils with contamination at levels higher than residential or ecological cleanup levels. Excavated soils are being stockpiled temporarily on the adjacent OU4 area of the Site, will be maintained and inspected regularly, and are expected to be consolidated into the future OU4 cleanup. Material that cannot be stored on-site will be recycled or disposed of off-site in accordance with state and federal laws. Air monitoring, traffic control, and other measures will be taken to protect the health and safety of residents and workers and to minimize disturbing communities. Air monitoring, traffic control, and other plans are available on the Multistate Trust website here.

Thursday, June 27, 2024

  • Community Meeting: 6 – 7 p.m. in-person and virtual

  • Drop-in Session: 7 – 8 p.m. in-person only

 Location: Navassa Community Center, 338 Main Street, Navassa

Join the meeting by Zoom or phone

 For More Information

June 27, 2024 Community Meeting and Drop-in Session flyer
March 12, 2024 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 a former treated and untreated wood storage area used when Kerr-McGee and its predecessors treated wood with creosote and other chemicals at the Site.

Two local firms were approved to complete the OU2 work, as part of the Multistate Trust’s effort to invest cleanup funds in the local economy wherever possible. Together, the local companies are responsible for grubbing and clearing, logging, excavation, hauling, and Site security, among other tasks. 

The OU2 work is being performed by the Multistate Trust, under the oversight of EPA and in consultation with NCDEQ. Following the cleanup, OU2 will be suitable for any future land use, with no long-term monitoring required. EPA will propose deleting OU2 from the National Priorities List of federal Superfund sites. Read the OU2 Remedial Action Fact Sheet here.


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-acre former Kerr-McGee property. In 2016, the Multistate Trust purchased an additional two acres. The Trustee of the Multistate Trust is Greenfield Environmental Multistate Trust LLC.

The Multistate Trust works with its beneficiaries—EPA and NCDEQ—on investigation, remediation and reuse planning of the ±100-acre Superfund Site. In 2022, EPA signed the OU2 Record of Decision selecting removal, on-site reuse/consolidation and off-site disposal as the OU2 remedy. In 2021, EPA issued the OU1 Record of Decision selecting no action as the remedy for the ±20-acre OU1. OU1’s subsequent deletion from the National Priorities List cleared the way for OU1’s future return to productive reuse.

Anna Novikova