Cleanup and Future Use of Former Kerr-McGee Site to be Addressed at Town Hall July 28 and Drop-In Session July 29
Media Contact: Christine Amrhine (Multistate Trust), (540) 846-3163, ca@g-etg.com
COLUMBUS, MS (July 21, 2022) – Multistate Trust representatives, together with federal and state officials, will hold a Town Hall Thursday, July 28 and a Drop-In Session Friday, July 29 to update the community about cleanup plans and progress and potential future uses at the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp – Columbus Superfund Site.
The Town Hall and Drop-In Session will give community members the opportunity to learn, ask questions and offer input on: completed cleanup activities for off-site property surface soils, the Waterworks Road-Moss Street stormwater ditch, and the ±44-acre Pine Yard; remediation options for the ±47-acre former Main Plant Area (Operable Units 3 and 5); and redevelopment opportunities for the Site. See the flyer and the July 2022 fact sheet for more information.
Thursday, July 28, 2022 – Town Hall, 6–7:30 p.m.
The Dream Center, 1820 North 23rd Street
· Join online: Use https://zoom.us/j/9465848922 and passcode B8U7EX, or enter tinyurl.com/ColumbusMeetings into your browser.
· Join by phone: Call (301) 715-8592. Use meeting ID 946 584 8922 and passcode 664564.
Friday, July 29, 2022 – Drop-In Session, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Community Resource Building, 2300 14th Ave. North. In person only.
Key members of the project team include:
· Multistate Trust Director of Environmental Justice Policies and Programs Claire Woods
· Multistate Trust Program Director Theo von Wallmenich
· Multistate Trust Director of Environmental Programs Lauri J. Gorton
· U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 Remedial Project Manager Charles L. King
· EPA Region 4 Community Involvement Coordinator L’Tonya Spencer-Harvey
· Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) GARD – CERCLA Branch Chief Armed Rasberry
· MDEQ Office of Community Engagement Director Taaka Scott-Bailey
Site Background:
From 1928 to 2003, Kerr-McGee and its predecessors operated a wood treating facility at the ±91-acre Site in the Memphistown neighborhood of Columbus. Most wood treating occurred on the Site’s ±47-acre Former Main Plant Area, located on the south side of 14th Avenue North. The ±44-acre Pine Yard, located on the north side of 14th Avenue North, was used mostly to store lumber, but some treatment and unauthorized disposal occurred in limited areas. The wood treating process used creosote and other chemicals. Kerr-McGee and its predecessors released contaminants into the soil and groundwater.
In 2011, the Multistate Environmental Response Trust (the Multistate Trust) assumed responsibility for owning and managing the Site as part of a bankruptcy settlement. The Multistate Trust is working with its beneficiaries – EPA and MDEQ – to clean up Site-related contamination and facilitate safe, community-supported, beneficial reuse of the Site. The court-appointed trustee of the Multistate Trust is Greenfield Environmental Multistate Trust LLC, a subsidiary of Greenfield Environmental Trust Group, Inc.
Note: The Town Hall and Drop-in Session topics don’t include the claims of people with adverse health effects from past exposure to Kerr-McGee Site contaminants. People with health or property damage claims may contact the Tronox Tort Claims Trust at (800) 753-2480 or tronoxtorttrust@epiqglobal.com or visit http://www.tronoxtorttrust.com. The Multistate Trust, EPA and MDEQ are not involved in the Tronox Tort Claims Trust. See the Tronox Tort Claims Trust fact sheet.
For More Information:
· Multistate Trust website https://Columbus.GreenfieldEnvironmental.com
· EPA website https://www.epa.gov/superfund/kerr-mcgee-chemical-columbus