A large cardboard sign greeted concerned citizens as they streamed into the Columbus Municipal Complex Thursday night: “Community input matters to EPA.”
And in keeping with the evening’s theme, residents who live in areas affected by the now-defunct Kerr-McGee Chemical Plant got the opportunity to ask questions and share their concerns with Environmental Protection Agency officials, who are moving forward with plans to clear the 90-acre site of contaminants and restore the property to viable use.
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. The plant was closed and the 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.
EPA designated the area as a Superfund site and added it to the National Priorities List of hazardous waste sites on Sept. 15.
The project’s on-scene coordinator, Steve Spurlin, said soil samples have been taken from targeted areas, predominantly places that are believed to have been contaminated by runoff from the site. The majority of the samples have been taken from the Seventh Avenue corridor, but Spurlin assured residents that further sampling will be done.
An immediate emergency response was conducted in February 2011 at Maranatha Faith Center, where a pile of creosote-contaminated material was removed and a fence erected to prevent children from accessing a nearby contaminated ditch.
A 50-by-50 area was excavated alongside Hunt Intermediate School, and soil was removed along Moss Street as well. The areas were then back-filled with clean soil and re-sodded.
Spurlin said approximately 278 tons of contaminated soil have been removed and deposited in the Golden Triangle Landfill, at a cost of $100,000.
Though residents expressed worries over the wisdom of placing potentially harmful materials in the landfill, EPA Remedial Project Manager Charles King said different landfills are graded to receive different levels of contaminated material, and nothing will be placed in the landfill that isn’t approved.
The project is expected to take several years to complete. By the end of the year, a primary contractor will be selected. By early next year, remedial investigation work will begin to assess the nature and extent of the contaminants and how they will be treated.
EPA will then create a “Record of Decision,” suggesting the course of action most economically feasible. If projected costs exceed $25 million, the plans will have to go before EPA’s National Remedy Review Board.
A major concern for many residents was making sure EPA and the Superfund group gives priority to local contractors and workers.
According to August figures, Lowndes County’s unemployment rate was 10.7 percent, exceeding the state average of 10 percent and the national average of 9.1 percent. August unemployment in nearby Oktibbeha County was 10.4 percent, while Noxubee County stood at 16.8 percent and Clay County was 18.2 percent.
King said a primary contractor will be chosen based on a number of factors, with between 15 and 35 percent of the contractor proposals weighted to consider their intended use of local workers. But, he cautioned, if local people are hired, they need to make sure they show up for work on time and “do a good job.”
“We don’t want Columbus to be a site where we tried something and it didn’t work,” King said.
Once the work is complete, the site will be considered for other uses, including, possibly, a solar farm. It will be re-evaluated every five years to make certain it remains safe and contaminant-free.
Rev. Steve Jamison, pastor of Maranatha Faith Center and chairman of the Memphis Town Community Action Group, which is working closely with EPA and the Superfund group, closed the meeting by encouraging residents to get involved in the process.
Jamison said his group meets at Genesis Church, in the old Lee High School building, on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. The meetings are open to the public.
“We have made sure that this group gets every break it deserves,” Jamison said. “We are a bunch of folks that have been fighting this a long time. We want what you want for the community.”
EPA Superfund Community Involvement Coordinator Tonya Whitsett reiterated his statements, adding that she and the other members of the Superfund group and the EPA see themselves as public servants, working toward positive resolution.
“Give us a chance,” Whitsett said.
Residents who have questions or concerns may contact Whitsett at 877-718-3752.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
