Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency will be on hand tonight at the Columbus Municipal Complex to give an update on cleanup efforts at the Kerr-McGee Chemical Plant site, located at 2300 14th Ave. N.
The meeting is open to the public and will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
The plant was closed and the 90-acre site was sealed off in 2003 amid allegations of environmental contamination — namely that creosote, a wood treatment chemical that has been linked to cancer, skin irritation and respiratory complaints, was leaching into the soil.
The EPA designated the area a Superfund site and added it to the National Priorities List of hazardous waste sites on Sept. 15, establishing a goal of clearing the contaminants and restoring the property to viable use.
Tonight’s meeting is part of EPA’s annual report to let residents know what has been done and what is being planned for the future at the site. The meeting will include a public signing ceremony to indicate the collaboration intent between the Region 4 Superfund Division, the City of Columbus, and the Memphis Town Community Action Group, headed by Rev. Steve Jamison, pastor of Maranatha Faith Center.
Details will be given on a removal action plan, and a question and answer session will follow. The purpose of the meeting is to explain the Superfund process to the community and does not pertain to any previous, ongoing or future litigation or legal action related to the site.
The Kerr-McGee plant opened in Columbus in 1928, making railroad cross ties and other pressure-treated timber products. The facility also used pentacholorphenol, commonly known as PCP, for some of its processes.
It landed on the EPA’s radar in the 1990s, when the first concerns were voiced about possible contaminants.
Following the plant’s closure, Kerr-McGee Corp. — which had operated both chemical and oil-related facilities nationwide — spun off its chemical division and changed its name to Tronox.
One of the company’s largest manufacturing facilities, where titanium dioxide is produced, is now located in Hamilton, about 20 miles north of Columbus.
For more information, please contact EPA Community Involvement Coordinator Tonya Whitsett at 877-718-3752.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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