Former Kerr-McGee Site in Columbus

The former Kerr-McGee Site was contaminated by decades of wood treating operations. The Site was added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priorities List of federal Superfund sites in 2011. The National Priorities List (NPL) is a listing of the worst hazardous waste sites identified by Superfund.

The Site’s Superfund designation means the cleanup must follow the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) process that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses to clean up Superfund sites. Read about CERCLA, also known as Superfund.

The Multistate Trust is performing investigations and cleanup under EPA oversight and in consultation with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).

Milestones Achieved to Date

Since assuming responsibility for the former Kerr-McGee Site in 2011 as part of a bankruptcy settlement, the Multistate Trust has worked with EPA and in consultation with MDEQ to complete or support completion of the following environmental actions and investigations:

• Completion of removal of creosote and restoration of City of Columbus stormwater ditch between Moss Street and Waterworks Road, 2021

• Substantial completion of removal of creosote and contaminated soil from portion of Pine Yard, 2021

• Substantial completion of cleanup and restoration of off-site property surface soils, 2021

• Issuance of EPA Record of Decision for Operable Unit 2, off-Site soils, September 2020

• Completion of Final Focused Feasibility Study for Operable Unit 2, off-Site soils, May 2020

• Issuance of EPA Time-Critical Removal Action Memorandum for cleanup of City of Columbus stormwater ditch between Moss Street and Waterworks Road, December 2019

• Issuance of EPA Record of Decision for Operable Unit 1, Pine Yard unsaturated soils, May 2019

• Completion of Phase II Remedial Investigation Report to characterize nature and extent of contamination in areas on and around the Site, (approved only for Operable Unit 1, Pine Yard soils), October 2018

• Completion of Baseline Ecological Risk Assessment, (approved only for Operable Unit 1, Pine Yard soils), September 2018

• Completion of Human Health Risk Assessment, (approved only for Operable Unit 1, Pine Yard soils), August 2018

• Completion of Focused Feasibility Study for Operable Unit 1, Pine Yard unsaturated soils, August 2018

• Completion of removal of creosote and restoration of City of Columbus stormwater ditch along 7th Avenue North from Waterworks Road to Probst Park, 2017. Read our announcement.

• Completion of removal of creosote and restoration of 1,000 feet of City of Columbus stormwater ditch along 14th Avenue North, 2014–2015

• Removal and replacement of a residential yard north of the Site

• Ongoing operation of the on-site groundwater recovery and treatment system

• Post-closure care of the closed hazardous waste impoundment

Current Activities and Work

STORMWATER DITCH REMOVAL ACTION AND IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETE

The Multistate Trust finished excavating creosote-contaminated soil from the City of Columbus stormwater drainage ditches between Moss Street and Waterworks Road southeast of the former Kerr-McGee Site in 2021. Learn more here and here.

CLEANUP OF OFF-SITE PROPERTY SURFACE SOILS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE

Cleanup and restoration were finished in 2021 at 9 of the 10 off-site properties identified as eligible for cleanup. Air monitoring, decontamination of trucks and traffic control efforts were taken to keep the community safe during construction. Read more here and here.

PHYTOREMEDIATION PILOT STUDY UNDER WAY

A variety of trees were planted at the Site in 2021 as part of the Phytoremediation Pilot Study by EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey to evaluate if groves of trees can be used in combination with other cleanup actions to control groundwater movement and help maintain protective conditions. Learn more here.

PINE YARD CLEANUP Mostly finished

The Multistate Trust finished more than 90 percent of the removal of creosote and contaminated soil from a portion of the Pine Yard area of the Site in 2021. Grading of the majority of the Pine Yard was completed in late 2021 and early 2022. Final touch-up grading and seeding will be finished once Site conditions allow. Much of the 44-acre Pine Yard is ready for reuse. Read more here.

Upcoming Activities

• Pine Yard: As part of a future phase of work, additional actions will be taken to address a limited area of deeper creosote contamination in and immediately adjacent to the Pine Yard. These remedial actions are estimated to get underway in 2024–2025.

• Former Main Plant Area: Evaluations have continued to determine the actions that will be taken on the 45-acre Former Main Plant Area. Remedial actions are projected to get underway in 2023–2024.

Environmental Documents

We are committed to making environmental documents available once they are approved by EPA and MDEQ.

The public can access Site documents in various places:

• our Documents & Resources page;

• EPA’s website for the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp — Superfund Site in Columbus;

• the document repository at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th Street North, in the Historical Room, Columbus; and

• the Site’s Community Resource Building at 2300 14th Avenue North, Columbus. Hours of operation are Tuesdays 8 a.m. – 12 noon, and Thursdays 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Our Beneficiaries and regulatory agencies

The beneficiaries of the Multistate Trust are the federal government and the state government where each site is located. In Columbus, the beneficiaries are represented by EPA and MDEQ.

EPA is also the lead regulatory agency for the Site, and MDEQ is the non-lead agency. In its role as lead agency, EPA approves site-specific cleanup plans and activities and the hiring of contractors to work at the Site.

In its role as beneficiary and in consultation with MDEQ, EPA approves the Multistate Trust’s annual environmental budgets. EPA and MDEQ will also make final decisions about the sale, transfer, or disposition of all or any portion of the Site.

Our Commitment to Community Stakeholders

The Multistate Trust and its beneficiaries recognize that the City of Columbus, and particularly the residents near the former Kerr-McGee Site, have been and continue to be most affected by the Site, its cleanup, and revitalization.

The Multistate Trust team remains dedicated to protecting and engaging our community and neighbors as we clean up the Site and plan for its safe, beneficial reuse for future generations. In collaboration with EPA and MDEQ, the Multistate Trust strives to keep the community and other stakeholders informed and involved in our work.

Columbus: An Environmental Justice Site

Environmental justice (EJ) is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Learn about Environmental Justice.

In Columbus, the Multistate Trust is committed to investing in this EJ community and including the community in the cleanup when possible. To date, the Multistate Trust has trained and hired local, small, minority businesses and individuals, providing skills, certifications, and experience that can help lead to future work in the environmental sector.

• 94 local residents and 10 local contractors have been hired for the Pine Yard soil removal project, 2018–2019

• 20 local residents and 6 local contractors were hired for the 7th Avenue North ditch improvement project, 2016–2017

The Multistate Trust’s training and hiring model has been described as a pioneering example that could be followed at EJ sites across the United States.