OSWER/OSRTI 

Washington, DC 20460 

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL) 

***Final Site*** September 2011 

KERR-MCGEECHEMICAL Columbus, Mississippi 

CORP --COLUMBUS Lowndes County 

 Site Location: 

The Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp - Columbus site consists of approximately 90 acres located east of the intersection of 

North 14th Avenue and North 21st Street in Columbus, Mississippi. The facility is closed, and all structures on the 

property have been demolished or dismantled. Access to the site is restricted by a fence that encloses the entire 

property. 

 Site History: 

While operational, Kerr-McGee manufactured pressure-treated railroad products such as wooden cross ties, switch ties 

and timbers. The production processes at the site utilized creosote and creosote tar solutions as well as 

pentachlorophenol (PCP) for wood treating. Structures formerly located on the Kerr-McGee property include an inground pit, sumps, underground drip collection tanks, above-ground tanks, a boiler, oil-water separators, surface 

impoundments, unlined sand filer beds, waste piles and a pine yard. Several closure actions had been conducted while 

the site was under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) corrective action; however, on-site and off-site 

soil and sediment contamination still exists. 

 Site Contamination/Contaminants: 

Kerr-McGee maintained an unlined hazardous waste surface impoundment as part of their wastewater treatment 

system. Kerr Mc-Gee closed the surface impoundment in 1986 under a RCRA closure plan. However, post-excavation 

sampling documented the presence of creosote and PCP contamination in sub-surface soils below the backfilled 

impoundment. In addition to the closed impoundment, additional contamination has been detected in the former drip 

pad area, the railroad loading area and other process areas. A ground water plume has been identified beneath the 

source areas on site that consists of free product and dissolved product from plant operations. 

 Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: 

Offsite migration of creosote, PCP and dioxin compounds have been documented in sediment samples collected from 

drainage ditches which leave the site, and contaminants have migrated to the surrounding residential neighborhoods. 

 Response Activities (to date): 

Several closure activities were conducted by Kerr-McGee and their successor, Tronox, LLC, under the EPA RCRA 

program and state oversight. The surface impoundment was excavated and backfilled, and some additional soil 

contamination and drainage ditch excavation was conducted. A ground water extraction and treatment system has been 

operational on the site since 1990. 

 Need for NPL Listing: 

The state and the EPA RCRA program referred the site to EPA Superfund because Tronox, LLC, has declared 

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.