Background and history

Wood treating operations at the Site, located at 2300 14th Avenue North in Columbus, Mississippi, were started in 1928 by the T.J. Moss Tie Company. Operations ended in 2003 when Kerr-McGee shut down its plant.

During operations, raw timber was brought to the Site by rail and stored in the Pine Yard and at several locations on the Main Plant Area. Creosote, pentachlorophenol, and other chemicals were used to pressure-treat the raw timber for use as railroad ties and other wood products.

The wood treating operations released creosote and other hazardous materials into the soil, stormwater ditch sediment, and groundwater on and off the Site.

Multistate Trust Takes Charge of the Former Kerr-McGee Site

The Multistate Trust owns, manages, and is cleaning up the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp – Columbus Superfund Site and hundreds of other contaminated sites across the United States. The Multistate Trust accepted this responsibility as part of the 2011 Tronox bankruptcy settlement.

The Site in Columbus is among 25 major, federal and state hazardous waste properties that the Multistate Trust is cleaning up and positioning for safe, productive redevelopment and long-term stewardship, using funds earmarked for each site.

Visit the Multistate Trust website.

Funds earmarked for the site in columbus

Cleanup funds were provided by the companies responsible for site contamination—not by the U.S. government nor by tax dollars. Funding came from the Tronox bankruptcy settlement, including proceeds from a settlement of fraud claims against Kerr-McGee and related subsidiaries of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation.

The Multistate Trust can use the Trust funds only for environmental actions, such as Site investigations, studies, design and cleanup actions, operations, maintenance and redevelopment planning. Trust funds cannot be used for other purposes, including actual Site redevelopment, or compensating people for health effects or property damage associated with the Site.

In 2011, when the Multistate Trust was created, initial funding was provided to maintain basic activities, such as continued operation of the groundwater recovery and treatment system. The initial funds also allowed for a limited investigation to determine if the community was being exposed to chemicals from former wood treating operations.

In 2015, the receipt of significant additional funds from the Anadarko litigation enabled the Multistate Trust to begin proactively investigating and taking remedial actions at the Site.

Funding Transition

In 2025, work at the Site is going through a transition because there are limited funds remaining in the Multistate Trust cleanup account for the Columbus Site. EPA, the Multistate Trust, and MDEQ have developed a plan to ensure that environmental investigations and cleanup continue after Multistate Trust funds are depleted.

 EPA, MDEQ, and the Multistate Trust plan to perform future work using:

• Remaining Multistate Trust funds

• EPA funds

• MDEQ cost-sharing contributions

This means that EPA will lead on remedy design and construction for remaining Operable Units, and the Multistate Trust will continue to perform site investigations and support EPA with implementing remedies. Read more details here.

The Tronox Tort Claims Trust

Not part of the Investigation, Cleanup, and redevelopment

The Multistate Trust, EPA, and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) have no involvement in the Tronox Tort Claims Trust. See our fact sheet here.

As a result of the Tronox bankruptcy proceedings, two separate Trusts were created. The Multistate Environmental Response Trust (the Multistate Trust) was created to perform investigations, cleanup, and redevelopment planning at the former Kerr-McGee Site in Columbus.

The second Trust – the Tronox Tort Claims Trust – was established to pay claims associated with private property damage or claims from people with adverse health effects from exposure to contaminants from Kerr-McGee sites throughout the United States.

Visit the Tronox Tort Claims Trust website, or contact the Tronox Tort Claims Trust by email at tronoxtorttrust@epiqglobal.com or by phone at (800) 753-2480.

In July 2022, the Tronox Tort Trust sent the Multistate Trust a letter in response to the Multistate Trust’s requests that Tronox Tort Trust representatives participate in community meetings, meet with affected residents, and provide information about the claims process in a format that is accessible to residents.