Major Cleanup Began January 2025 at Kerr-McGee Jacksonville Superfund Site – In-Person Availability Sessions To Be Held January 14, 2025

JACKSONVILLE, FL (January 13, 2025) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Multistate Environmental Response Trust (Multistate Trust) are holding in-person availability sessions Tuesday, January 14 to discuss the $53 million, two-year cleanup project that got underway in January 2025 at the Kerr-McGee Superfund Site in Jacksonville (the Site).

 

Aerial photo of Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp–Jacksonville Superfund Site: This aerial view shows the ±31-acre Site (foreground) at 1611 Talleyrand Avenue, on the west bank of the St. Johns River, in the predominantly industrial port of Jacksonville. 

 

At the availability sessions, Multistate Trust and EPA representatives will share information about the cleanup, which is designed to address contamination in soil, groundwater, sediment, and surface water at the ±31-acre Site along the St. Johns River on Talleyrand Avenue. Remediation activities will include installing an environmental bulkhead to contain contaminated St. Johns River sediment and covering the Site with a low-permeability cap. Discussion topics will include plans for continuous air monitoring and other measures to control dust and odors, protect the health and safety of neighbors, and minimize impacts on nearby workers and residents during cleanup activities. Among other discussion topics is the investigation of Site-related contamination in Deer Creek that began in October 2024.

Availability Sessions – in person only

WHEN: Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 12 noon–2:00 p.m. and 4:30–6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Toon Town, 1726 E. Church Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202, https://jaxtoontown.com

  • Speak one-on-one with EPA and Multistate Trust representatives.

  • Learn about the cleanup work and environmental investigations at the Site.

  • View informational posters about the cleanup.

  • Snacks and other refreshments will be provided.

  • All are welcome.

For More Information

–https://jacksonville.greenfieldenvironmental.com

–https://www.epa.gov/superfund/kerr-mcgee-chemical-llc


On December 11, EPA and the Multistate Trust held virtual community meetings to explain the cleanup project and answer questions.

 Visit our website at https://jacksonville.greenfieldenvironmental.com to see

Site Background

The ±31-acre Site at 1611 Talleyrand Avenue lies on the west bank of the St. Johns River in the predominantly industrial port of Jacksonville. Kerr-McGee and its predecessors used the Site to manufacture, formulate, package, and distribute fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicide from 1893 to 1978. Site contaminants—primarily pesticides and metals—are present in soil, sediment, and groundwater at concentrations that may pose a threat to human health and the environment. Secured by a chain-link fence, the Site is bordered on the west by Talleyrand Avenue, on the north by Jacksonville Port Authority property leased to JM Family Enterprises, Inc./Southeast Toyota Distributors, and on the south by Deer Creek and an undeveloped CSX Transportation parcel.

Site Cleanup

In December, equipment mobilized to the Site, and the major cleanup phase got underway last week, as crews began installing erosion control measures. The Operable Unit 1 (OU1) Remedial Action will include: installing an environmental bulkhead to contain contaminated St. Johns River sediment in place; dredging contaminated sediment outside the bulkhead and consolidating it inside the bulkhead; solidifying on-site areas of contaminated soil in place; consolidating on-site the contaminated soil excavated from the adjacent CSX Transportation parcel; and constructing a multilayered, low-permeability cap covering the Site footprint. An initial phase of cleanup in 2020 and 2021 included clearing and preparing the Site for the major remediation work. The cleanup will implement the EPA-selected remedy in the 2016 Record of Decision. Find more information on our website here.

The Site has been divided into two operable units to facilitate cleanup of known contamination. The EPA will address sediment and surface water contamination in Deer Creek (Operable Unit 2 [OU2]) by the OU2 Remedial Investigation that began in fall 2024.

 The Multistate Trust

The Multistate Environmental Response Trust (Multistate Trust) is a private, independent entity created by a federal bankruptcy court in 2011. The Multistate Trust assumed responsibility for the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp – Jacksonville Superfund Site, investigating and remediating the Site, and facilitating its beneficial, sustainable reuse. The court-appointed Trustee of the Multistate Trust is Greenfield Environmental Multistate Trust LLC. The Multistate Trust performs its work under EPA oversight in consultation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). The Multistate Trust’s beneficiaries––who must approve any property sale or other disposition––include the United States (represented by EPA) and the State of Florida (represented by FDEP). Site cleanup funds were paid by Kerr-McGee and other companies responsible for Site contamination.

 

This map shows how the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp–Jacksonville Superfund Site is divided into two operable units to facilitate cleanup of known contamination. Operable Unit 1 (OU1) consists mostly of the former plant site. The OU1 cleanup work will address Operable 1 contamination in soil, groundwater, sediment, and surface water. The Operable Unit 2 Remedial Investigation that began in late 2024 will evaluate contamination of sediment and surface water in Deer Creek.

 
Anna Novikova