News Releases from Region 04
EPA and Multistate Trust to Hold Public Availability Sessions about Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp Site in Jacksonville, Florida on August 1
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (July 23, 2019) – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Multistate Environmental Response Trust (Multistate Trust) representatives will hold community availability sessions concerning the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp – Jacksonville Superfund site in Jacksonville, Florida on Thursday, August 1, 2019. The availability sessions will feature exhibits and information about the completed site field work and the status of cleanup progress and plans.
Who: U.S. EPA
Multistate Trust
What: Public Availability Sessions for the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp – Jacksonville Superfund site
When: Thursday, August 1, 2019
Two sessions: 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Kids Hope Alliance, 1st Floor Multipurpose Room
1095 A. Philip Randolph Blvd.
Jacksonville, Florida
Representatives of EPA and Multistate Trust will be available to talk one-on-one with residents and other community stakeholders and provide updates on completed field work and cleanup progress and plans. There will be no formal presentation, and the set-up will be informal to encourage community members to drop in.
Please see the flyer linked here for more information about the Aug. 1 public availability sessions.
Site Background
Beginning in 1893, the 31-acre site was used to formulate, blend, package and distribute fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides by several companies, including Kerr-McGee. In 1978, the plant was permanently shut down. Except for several building foundations, all structures and equipment have been removed from the site.
The site has contaminated soil, groundwater and sediment. The site is on the National Priorities List (NPL) of federal Superfund sites, which means the cleanup must follow the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) process. The NPL includes the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination. The list serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. Only releases at sites included on the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup.
The Multistate Trust is currently designing the remedy EPA selected for the area of the site known as Operable Unit 1. The Multistate Trust, which took responsibility for the site as part of a bankruptcy settlement, is managing the site cleanup and facilitating safe, beneficial reuse under the oversight of EPA in consultation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The site is located at 1611 Talleyrand Avenue along the west bank of the St. Johns River in the predominantly industrial Port of Jacksonville.