EPA Releases Proposed Plan, Announces October 15 Public Availability Session and Meeting for Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp Site in Navassa, North Carolina

October 9, 2019

NAVASSA, N.C. (Oct. 9, 2019) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a proposed plan for the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp - Navassa Superfund site. EPA will hold a public availability session and public meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019, to explain the proposed plan and answer questions.

The proposed plan presents the basis for determining that the 21.6-acre area, designated as Operable Unit 1, poses no current or potential threat to human health and the environment and therefore meets EPA's standards for a No Action Remedy.

Who: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4

What: Kerr-McGee Superfund Site in Navassa, North Carolina Proposed Plan

When: Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019

Public Availability Session - 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. EDT

Public Meeting - 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT

Where: Navassa Community Center
338 Main Street
Navassa, N.C.

Media Availability - 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT

The Public Availability Sessions will provide an opportunity for community members to talk one-on-one with EPA representatives about the proposed plan and ask questions. During the public meeting, EPA will present the proposed plan.

EPA welcomes public comments on the plan beginning Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019, to Friday, November 8, 2019. A copy of the proposed plan and associated documents related to the site are available in the Administrative Record of the Information Repository housed at the Navassa Community Center, 338 Main Street, Navassa, NC 28451 and the Leland Library, 487 Village Road NE, Leland, NC 28451. The Administrative Record can also be found at http://www.epa.gov/superfund/kerr-mcgee-chemical-corp/administrative-record. Written comments should be submitted by Nov. 8, 2019, to Spalvins.Erik@epa.gov or via the U.S. Postal Service at:

Erik Spalvins, EPA Remedial Project Manager
U.S. EPA, Superfund Division, 11th Floor
61 Forsyth Street SW
Atlanta, GA 30303

For further information, please contact L'Tonya Spencer-Harvey, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator toll free (877) 718-3752, directly (404) 562-8463 or via email Spencer.LaTonya@epa.gov.

SITE BACKGROUND:

From 1936 to 1974, Kerr-McGee and other companies used the 246-acre site for creosote-based wood treating. By 1980, Kerr-McGee dismantled the wood-treatment buildings and facilities.

The soil, sediment and groundwater are contaminated by creosote-related chemicals. Site contamination does not currently pose a threat to people living or working near the site. The site is bounded by the Brunswick River, Sturgeon Creek, a residential area and a light industrial area.

In 2005, the site was conveyed to Tronox, a Kerr-McGee spinoff that filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009. In 2011, the Multistate Trust acquired the site as a court-appointed trustee as part of the Tronox bankruptcy settlement. The Multistate Trust is working with its beneficiaries - EPA and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality - on the site investigation, remediation and redevelopment planning.

For more information:

• The EPA website: www.epa.gov/superfund/kerr-mcgee-chemical-corp
• Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp - Navassa Superfund site: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/kerr-mcgee-chemical-corp/administrative-record
• The Superfund cleanup process: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-cleanup-process