Updates of ongoing work, future cleanup plans, and studies of a former wood treatment plant site in Navassa will be included among topics discussed at an upcoming community meeting.

During the meeting scheduled for 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, federal and state officials will discuss the recently completed cleanup of contaminated soil and debris in operable unit 2 of the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp – Navassa Superfund Site.

An in-person only drop-in session will be held from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Officials will also highlight the cleanup plan for operable unit 4 and an ongoing pilot study of that unit evaluating whether injecting oxygen into the aquifer would effectively remediate contamination in subsurface soils and groundwater.

Other topics are to include the feasibility study for operable unit 3, also known as the southern marsh, and an update on the Moze Center land donation and draft conservation easement under review by the Navassa Town Council and mayor.

The meeting, which is being hosted by the Multistate Environmental Response Trust in coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, will be held in-person at the Navassa Community Center, 338 Main St., on Zoom, or by telephone at 301-715-8592, meeting ID 946 584 8922, passcode 664564.

Those who wish to join online may also enter  tinyurl.com/Navassameetings into a browser.

Additional cleanup of contaminated soil and debris began earlier this month at part of the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. site in Navassa, a federal Superfund site.

The work, which began Nov. 3 in what officials call Operable Unit 2, or OU2, and is expected to take four to six weeks to finish, is one of the topics for discussion when the Multistate Environmental Response Trust, the Environmental Protection Agency and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality host a community meeting Tuesday, Nov. 18.

The meeting is set for 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., in-person at the Navassa Community Center, 338 Main St., and on Zoom. During the meeting, project representatives will share updates and provide an opportunity for questions, comments and discussion. To join the meeting by phone, dial 301-715-8592. Use meeting ID 946 584 8922 and passcode 664564.

A drop-in session is planned for 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., in-person only. During the drop-in session, people can speak directly with project representatives, ask questions, and provide feedback.

Officials said the additional OU2 cleanup involves excavating contaminated soil and debris found beyond planned excavation areas during the 2024 OU2 cleanup. That work, which took place in December 2024, found extensive, unexpected debris, including a 40-gallon tank, oily bricks, treated wood and visibly contaminated asphalt material.

The work this fall will include clearing vegetation and placing sediment and erosion controls around the work area. Then, debris and contaminated soil will be removed from excavation areas and disposed off-site. Excavated soils will be managed in the existing staging piles in OU4 and are expected to be reused or consolidated into the future OU4 cleanup. Excavated areas will be backfilled with clean soil.

Officials expect to share updates on the OU3 feasibility study and its evaluation of remedial technologies to mitigate unacceptable contamination risks to ecological receptors. OU3 is the tidally influenced marsh along Sturgeon Creek.

The EPA in September hosted a meeting in Navassa to explain the proposed plan for cleanup of the 12-acre OU4 North portion of the 35-acre OU4, the former pond and process area.

The proposed cleanup would involve removing contaminated surface soil and developing appropriate controls to manage risk associated with remaining subsurface soil. The public comment period for the OU4 North proposed plan runs through Nov. 24.

A pilot study to evaluate whether injecting oxygen into the aquifer would effectively remediate contamination in subsurface soils and groundwater has begun.

Kerr-McGee and its predecessors operated at the site from 1936 to 1974 and used creosote and other chemicals to treat wood for railroad ties, utility poles, and pilings. Kerr-McGee decommissioned and dismantled the operation in 1980.

In 2010, groundwater, soil, and sediment contamination by creosote-related chemicals led EPA to add the former Kerr-McGee property to the National Priorities List. Officials have said site contamination does not currently threaten people living or working nearby.

More information

• Multistate Trust website.
• EPA’s Navassa website.
• NCDEQ website.

Acres of wetland habitat undergoing restoration need a few days to dry out after a rain-soaked weekend before volunteers can get to work planting at Carolina Beach State Park.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation has rescheduled a volunteer planting originally planned for Monday to 10 a.m. to noon Thursday.

Volunteers may register to help plant native vegetation within the 10-acre project area, which was selected by federal and state agencies to address environmental damages caused by decades of creosote contamination that occurred during operations at a former wood treatment plant in Navassa.

The former Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. site in the Brunswick County town, which is a little more than 30 miles upstream of Carolina Beach, was listed on the federal Superfund’s National Priorities List in 2010.

The Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review, and project contractor designed the native tidal wetland restoration project to include removing invasive species, creating a slough through the removal of fill material and grading, planting native vegetation, and monitoring the project once it is complete.

Rainfall from a system that began over the weekend and continues to sweep up the East Coast have flooded the trail and wetland area.

“That said, this flooding is actually a great reminder that the wetland is doing exactly what it was designed to do – absorbing, filtering, and holding stormwater to reduce flooding elsewhere and improve water quality,” according to the Coastal Federation. “Wetlands act like nature’s sponges, capturing runoff and allowing sediment and nutrients to settle before the water slowly filters back into our coastal systems.”

Volunteers are recommended to bring tall boots or waders and gloves. These items will also be provided on site to volunteers who may not have them. It is recommended that volunteers dress in layers they do not mind getting dirty.

When contractors began cleaning up debris from the grounds of a former wood treatment plant in Navassa last year, they expected they’d be removing old railroad ties, pieces of treated wood and tires.

“We didn’t expect to see a tank there,” Ngozi Ibe said of the underground storage vessel at the property.

The same goes for other unexpected debris contractors found in a section of the former Kerr-McGee federal Superfund site designated as Operable Unit 2, Ibe, senior project manager and environmental justice specialist who manages the Multistate Trust site in Navassa, said in a Thursday night community meeting.

“We just found an extensive amount of material out there,” she said. “It was so much more than we had expected to encounter when we originally planned the work.”

As contractors unearthed the tank, which contained an unknown fluid, bricks coated in an oily sheen, and additional treated timber they did not anticipate finding in the area, it became clear more time would be needed to clean Operable Unit 2, or OU2.

The next round of cleanup is not expected to begin until sometime this fall, with work anticipated to go on for anywhere from six to eight weeks, Ibe said.

OU2 is a 16-acre section of the original 200-acre site where wood was treated for more than 40 years before operations permanently closed in the mid-1970s.

Operations on the land left a legacy of contamination of creosote, a gummy, tar-like substance used to treat wood used for railroad ties and utility poles.

The land was added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priorities List of federal Superfund sites in 2010.

In order to evaluate the land and get an understanding of the extent of contamination on it to help determine how it may be used in the future, the EPA divided the property into operable units.

The site is comprised of five units, including a 20-acre tract where untreated wood was stored. That unit, or OU1, was removed from the EPA’s National Priorities list in 2021. There are no restrictions on future development of this parcel.

In April 2024, contractors began cleaning up OU2, where both treated and untreated wood were stored, by excavating a little more than 1.5 acres of surface soils contaminated with levels of dioxin and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons considered to pose an unacceptable risk to people and the environment.

Contractors also removed old tires, treated timber, slabs of concrete and other debris discovered through an initial investigation of the unit.

Workers dug down anywhere from one to two feet, in general, to remove contaminated soil. The excavated soil has been placed on temporary storage sites, lined and covered, in Operable Unit 4.

Contaminated soils removed from OU2 and stockpiled in OU4 are being managed and inspected no less frequently than monthly, as well as after every rainfall.

Backfill suitable for residential use has been injected into the trenches dug to remove the contaminated soil from OU2 and vegetation planted on those areas to prevent erosion and runoff.

Wells have been dug in the unit so officials can monitor groundwater.

OU4, the pond and process area of the former wood-treatment plant site, spans about 32 acres.

The EPA has divided OU4 into two sections: north and south.

Erik Spalvins, EPA remedial project manager, said Thursday night that the northern section of OU4 does not have groundwater contamination or creosote and that officials will decide how to address the two stockpiles from OU2.

There is groundwater contamination in the southern section of OU4. And, creosote contamination has been found as deep as 70 feet below the ground’s surface.

Spalvins said he hopes the EPA is ready to issue a proposed plan to address remediation in OU4 in August. The plan, which will be discussed at a public meeting, will go out for public comment on how residents in the area would like to see than land used.

“What we’re trying to do is provide as much flexibility in our decision-making process so that we don’t tie our hands in the future,” Spalvins said. “So, specifically in the feasibility study, we looked at a residential option and industrial commercial option and we are going to put it out for public comment.”

A feasibility study is currently underway for Operable Unit 3, or the marsh area of the site. Spalvins said the hope is that a draft proposed plan for that unit will be released sometime early next year.

The Multistate Trust plans to donate about 30 acres that was not contaminated for the proposed Moze Heritage Center and Nature Park, dedicated to preserving the stories of enslaved Africans who worked the rice plantations along river banks in southeastern North Carolina.

Claire Morgan, director of community partnerships and redevelopment and senior attorney with the Greenfield Environmental Trust Group, explained Thursday night that the 30 acres donated to the town will be included in a conservation easement to ensure it is used for the public good.

The trust has been working with the North Carolina Coastal land Trust to serve as the easement holder, but the town will own the land.

Federal and state representatives will be updating ongoing cleanup work at the former Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. – Navassa Superfund Site at a community meeting scheduled for this Thursday.

Multistate Environmental Response Trust, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality officials are hosting the meeting to discuss the additional cleanup of contaminated soil and debris expected to occur this fall in a section of the site known as operable unit 2, or OU2.

Other topics to be covered at the meeting include the upcoming issuance of the proposed cleanup plan for the northern part of operable unit 4, ongoing investigations of contamination in units 3-5, and the donation of about 30 acres from the Multistate Trust to Navassa for the proposed Moze Heritage Center and tidal restoration project.

The meeting will be held 6-7 p.m. in person at the Navassa Community Center, 338 Main St., and via Zoom at tinyurl.com/NavassaMeetings.

To join the meeting by phone, call 301-715-8592 and use ID 946 584 8922 and passcode 664564.

The meeting will kick off with a presentation followed by a question-and-answer session.

An in-person only drop-in session, where the public can speak one-on-one to project representatives, will be held from 7-8 p.m.

Representatives overseeing the ongoing clean up and remediation of the former Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp site in Navassa will be providing an update about the project next week.

Discussions during the meeting set for March 4 will include new work within a portion of the site referred to as operable unit 2, where roughly 1.5 acres of contaminated surface soil is being excavated and removed.

The meeting, which will also be live streamed, is scheduled for 6-7 p.m. in the Navassa Community Center, 338 Main St. To join the meeting by Zoom use the link or enter tinyurl.com/NavassaMeetings in a browser. To join by phone call 301-715-8592. Use meeting ID 946 584 8922 and passcode 66456.

An in-person only drop-in session will follow from 7-8 p.m.

Operable unit 2, or OU2, spans about 16 acres and is an area where treated and untreated wood were stored during operations at the former wood treatment plant site.

The plant was closed in the 1970s, but during the decades in which it operated creosote leached into the ground and marsh in different areas within the 250-acre site.

Officials next week will also preview the proposed plan remediating part of OU4, where at least some of the excavated soil from OU2 is being stockpiled for a period of time.

Natural Resource Trustees will provide an update on restorations projects on the property, redevelopment plans and the future Moze Heritage Center.

For help joining the meeting online or by phone, contact the Multistate Trust at 267-799-3842.

Progress on the cleanup of an area within the former Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp Superfund Site in Navassa will be discussed Tuesday during a community meeting.

Cleanup of contaminated surface soil in the operable unit 2, or OU2, area of the site and the proposed plan for cleaning up parts of operable unit 4 will be shared with attendees of the meeting hosted by the Multistate Environmental Response Trust, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

The in-person and virtual meeting is scheduled for 6-7 p.m. Tuesday in Navassa Community Center, 338 Main St. Join the virtual meeting through Zoom or type into a browser tinyurl.com/NavassaMeetings. To listen by phone call 301-715-8592 and use meeting ID 946 584 8922 and passcode 664564.

A drop-in information session being offered in-person only will follow from 7-8 p.m. at the community center. Attendees of the drop-in session will have the opportunity to speak one-on-one with project team members, ask questions and share concerns.

OU2 includes 16 acres where treated and untreated wood was stored during the plant’s nearly 40-year operation. Soil within the unit contaminated with higher levels of creosote, a tar-like substance used to treat wood, is being excavated and stored on the adjacent OU4 area. Material that cannot be stored on-site will be recycled or sent to an off-site, government-approved location.

Once OU2 is cleaned, the EPA expects to propose deleting it from the National Priorities List of federal Superfund sites.

Representatives of the Multistate Trust, EPA and DEQ also will discuss during the meeting Tuesday investigations of other areas of the site, the proposed sale of the Multistate Trust-owned 87 acres, and the Moze Center land donation.

The Multistate Trust along with federal and state agencies are hosting a meeting later this month to update Navassa residents and stakeholders on cleanup operations within former Kerr-McGee Superfund site.

A community meeting will be held June 27 by the Multistate Trust, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, during which officials will share information about ongoing cleanup of operable unit 2, redevelopment planning, and other site updates.

A drop-in session will also be held in which members of the community will have the opportunity speak one-on-one with representatives about the site.

The meeting will be held in-person and virtually from 6 – 7 p.m. in the Navassa Community Center, 338 Main St.

The drop-in session will follow from 7-8 p.m. and will be in-person only.

To join the meeting online, use this Zoom link or enter tinyurl.com/NavassaMettings into your browser.

To join the meeting by phone call (301) 715-8592 and use meeting ID 946 584 8922# and passcode 664564# 

For more information visit this link.

Additional information may be found at the Multistate Trust’s website  and the EPA’s website.

The March 2024 community meeting presentation is available here.