The Former Kerr-McGee Site in Jacksonville, Florida
Background and History
From 1893 to 1978, several companies including Kerr-McGee Chemical Corporation operated a fertilizer manufacturing and pesticide and herbicide formulation and packaging facility at the Site.
Following the shutdown of the operation, structures and equipment were removed from the Site. Located at 1611 Talleyrand Avenue along the west bank of the St. Johns River in the Port of Jacksonville, the Site is currently fenced and vacant.
The Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) owns the property to the north of the Site. That land is currently leased to JM Family Enterprises, Inc./Southeast Toyota Distributors for staging and distributing imported automobiles.
Deer Creek runs through the undeveloped tract that CSX Transportation owns just south of the Site.
Historical operations contaminated the soil on the Site and on the adjacent JAXPORT and CSX properties, groundwater under and near the Site, sediment in the St. Johns River and Deer Creek, and surface water in the St. Johns River.
Site contaminants—primarily pesticides and metals—are present in soil, sediment, groundwater, and surface water at concentrations that pose a threat to human health and the environment.
The MULTISTATE TRUST TAKES CHARGE OF THE FORMER KERR-MCGEE SITE
In 2011, as part of the Tronox bankruptcy settlement, the Multistate Environmental Response Trust (Multistate Trust) took responsibility for owning, managing, cleaning up and facilitating the safe, beneficial reuse of the Site in Jacksonville, as well as hundreds of other contaminated sites in the United States.
The Site in Jacksonville is one of approximately 25 major, federal and state hazardous waste properties that the Multistate Trust is cleaning up and positioning for safe, productive reuse and long-term stewardship, using funds earmarked for each site. Learn more at the Multistate Trust website.
A Timeline of the Former Kerr-McGee Site
Timeline
1893
The first recorded owner of the Site – Wilson and Toomer Company – began manufacturing fertilizer at the Site.
1970
The Site had changed hands twice by the time Kerr-McGee bought the operation. By then, the operation included pesticide formulation.
1978
Kerr-McGee shut down operations.
2003
The Florida Department of Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry issued a Public Health Assessment for the Site.
2005
Kerr-McGee created Tronox and transferred the Site and other contaminated properties into Tronox.
2009
Tronox filed for bankruptcy because it was unable to pay for cleanup of Kerr-McGee sites, including the Site in Jacksonville.
2010
Contamination of the Site’s soil and groundwater led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to add the Site to the National Priorities List of federal Superfund sites.
2011
As part of the Tronox bankruptcy settlement, the Multistate Trust was established by a federal bankruptcy court to take ownership of the Site in Jacksonville and numerous other former Kerr-McGee properties.
2015
Significant additional funds from the Anadarko litigation allowed the Multistate Trust to begin proactively taking remedial actions and conducting investigations at the Site, including studies to evaluate the feasibility and cost of cleanup options.
2016
EPA issued the Proposed Plan for cleanup of Operable Unit 1 (OU1) of the Site, and subsequently issued the Record of Decision for OU1.
2017
The Multistate Trust began planning for the design of the OU1 remedy.
2019
The Multistate Trust completed predesign investigations and began remedial design of the OU1 Remedy.
2020
The Multistate Trust completed the 60-percent design of the OU1 remedy and in fall 2020 began preparing the Site for cleanup activities.
2021
The Multistate Trust finished preparing the Site for the major cleanup phase.
2022
The Multistate Trust completed the 100-percent design of the OU1 remedy and began planning for remedial investigations in OU2 (Deer Creek).
2023
The Multistate Trust submitted the OU1 Final Remedial Design Report to EPA. Mobilization for the major phase of cleanup work is expected to begin in late 2024.
2024
EPA approved the OU1 Final Remedial Design Report, and the Multistate Trust began preparing to mobilize to start major cleanup work. The remedial investigation of contamination in Deer Creek (OU2) began.
The OU1 cleanup work began in January and is expected to last 2 years. Work will include constructing an environmental bulkhead on the St. Johns River shoreline, a site-wide soil cap, in-place soil stabilization, and a groundwater recovery and treatment system.
2025
Funds Earmarked for the Jacksonville Site
Cleanup funds were provided by the companies responsible for Site contamination—not by the U.S. government nor by tax dollars. Funding came from the Tronox bankruptcy settlement, including proceeds from a settlement of fraud claims against Kerr-McGee and related subsidiaries of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation.
In 2011, when the Multistate Trust was created, initial funding was provided to maintain basic Site activities. In 2015, the receipt of significant additional funds from the Anadarko litigation allowed the Multistate Trust to begin proactively investigating and taking remedial actions at the Site in Jacksonville.
The Multistate Trust can use the Trust funds only for environmental actions, such as Site investigations, studies, design and cleanup actions, operations, maintenance and redevelopment planning.
Trust funds cannot be used for other purposes, including the actual redevelopment of the Site, or compensating people for health effects or property damage associated with the Site.
Visit the Multistate Trust website.
The Tronox Tort Claims Trust
Not part of the Investigation, Cleanup, and Redevelopment
As a result of the Tronox bankruptcy proceedings, the Multistate Trust was created to perform investigations, cleanup, and redevelopment planning at the former Kerr-McGee Site in Jacksonville.
A separate Trust – the Tronox Tort Claims Trust – was established to pay personal injury claims (medical or health) or property damage claims associated with Kerr-McGee contaminants.
Visit the Tronox Tort Claims Trust website, or contact the Tronox Trust by email at tronoxtorttrust@epiqglobal.com or phone at (800) 753-2480.
The Multistate Trust, EPA, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection have no involvement in the Tronox Tort Claims Trust.