A book more than eight decades in the writing is approaching its final chapter.
Superfund, a federal program to clean up hazardous waste sites, has begun work to add the 90-acre Kerr-McGee Chemical site, at 2300 14th Avenue North in Columbus, to the National Priorities List of hazardous waste sites.
Once studies of the site and surrounding areas are completed, the Environmental Protection Agency could begin cleanup efforts next year. The EPA is hosting a community meeting at Lee Middle School next Thursday, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. to explain the Superfund process.
Through Superfund, the EPA is authorized to clean up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites, explained Tonya James, community involvement coordinator for EPA Region 4.
“The company is bankrupt, so it has come to the attention of the Superfund division,” James said. She also noted Superfund has nothing to do with any past or pending litigation involving Kerr-McGee.
Tronox, the chemical division spun off from Kerr-McGee in 2005, filed bankruptcy in January 2009. It continues to operate what formerly was Kerr-McGee”s Hamilton chemical pigment plant on Old Highway 45 in Hamilton.
James was in Columbus this week, along with Steve Spurlin, on-scene coordinator, and Charles King, remedial project manager, seeking permission from 45 homeowners to take samples on their property, for testing. Areas chosen for testing are near the drainage pathways of the site, mostly along Moss Street and Seventh Avenue, Spurlin said.
“My job is to evaluate if there is immediate danger to the public that requires action in the short term,” he said, noting the remedial program then deals with groundwater, drainage, pathways and human exposure.
While the plant was operational, it was overseen by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which tells the companies how to manage and clean their own sites, added King.
“Once the facility went bankrupt, there was no one to tell to clean it up,” he said.
Kerr-McGee began operations on 14th Avenue North in Columbus in 1928, using creosote and creosote coal tar solutions to produce pressure-treated railroad products, such as wooden cross ties, switch ties and timbers, at the Columbus plant.
It was the first industry to bring business to the Columbus-Lowndes County Port, transporting material from the port to its Hamilton pigment plant.
The plant, like many longtime manufacturers, predated technology linking its processes to health problems.
“For wood treaters of this nature, who”ve been operating for a long time, like this one was, you often see (contamination problems) on the facility itself and runoff areas and waterways around the site,” said Spurlin.
“With better technology, now we know those (processes) they were using may not have been the best, but they didn”t know it at the time,” King said.
Until testing is performed and analyzed, Superfund won”t know if there is contamination to be concerned about. There has been no comprehensive study of Kerr-McGee and surrounding areas and only “limited data,” James said.
“It”s been reported that contamination is a problem,” James acknowledged. “We hope, through Superfund, we can bring solutions. This will be a more thorough approach.”
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