OSWER/OSRTI 

Washington, DC 20460 

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL)

***Final Site*** March 2010 

KERR-MCGEE CHEMICAL CORP - NAVASSA Navassa, North Carolina 

Brunswick County 

 Site Location: 

The Kerr-McGee Chem Corp site is located within the city limits of Navassa, North Carolina, along the banks of 

Sturgeon Creek. The property consists of 242 acres; however, the total area used in the manufacturing process was 

approximately 100 acres along Navassa Road and Sturgeon Creek. The site is currently unoccupied. 

 Site History: 

The Kerr-McGee Chem Corp site was operated as a wood treating facility from 1936 until 1974. Dried lumber was 

pressure treated with a creosote solution. The creosote was stored in above-ground tanks, and treated lumber was 

stored outside until dry. The wood treatment process generated wastewater which was treated onsite. A conjoined 

pair of unlined settling ponds was used to separate and reclaim creosote. The site was dismantled in 1980. Creosote 

in the settling ponds was reclaimed, but creosote sludge from the ponds and product storage tanks was mixed with soil 

and disposed of back into the wastewater ponds. 

 Site Contamination/Contaminants: 

Site inspection activities have documented a dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) below the wastewater ponds to 

a depth of 30 feet below ground surface. The DNAPL is near pure product creosote. In addition, extensive soil and 

ground water contamination exists on nearly 100 acres, including the production area. The wetlands sediments in 

adjacent Sturgeon Creek are also contaminated with creosote. 

 Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: 

Sturgeon Creek wetlands sediments are contaminated with creosote and creosote-related semi-volatile organic 

compounds, including polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Sturgeon Creek is a fishery and creosote and creosoterelated compounds are known to bioaccumulate in the food chain. Sturgeon Creek flows for approximately 0.5 miles 

before the confluence with the Brunswick River, and the Brunswick River joins with the Cape Fear River 

approximately 4 miles from the site. Sturgeon Creek, and the brackish Brunswick and Cape Fear estuaries, contain 

fisheries, extensive wetlands frontage and additional sensitive environments. 

 Response Activities (to date): 

In 2006, EPA and Tronox LLC entered into an administrative settlement agreement and order on consent to conduct a 

remedial investigation and feasibility study at the site under the Superfund Alternative Approach (SAA). The initial 

phases of the remedial investigation have been completed. Tronox LLC is a successor to Kerr-McGee Chemical, 

LLC. 

 Need for NPL Listing: 

The State of North Carolina referred the site to EPA because of widespread contamination on the property. Although 

Tronox LLC is currently performing the investigative work at the site, it has now filed for bankruptcy and may not be 

able to fund the needed cleanup. Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated, but are not viable at this 

time. EPA received a letter of support for placing this site on the NPL from the State. 

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change 

as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination.] 

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these 

substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet 

at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.