*Due to illness, this meeting will be rescheduled to January 2023.
The Multistate Environmental Response Trust, in coordination with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, is hosting a community meeting to update the public about environmental investigations and ongoing remedial work at and around the former Tronox/Kerr-McGee Wood Treatment Facility in Springfield, Missouri. The Trust and department will share information about work to investigate potential contaminants at and around the facility, ongoing environmental remediation and opportunities for community input. Meeting topics will include upcoming sampling of residential surface soil and groundwater, as well as efforts to develop a revised management plan for the Golden Hills Detention Basin.
The former Tronox/ Kerr-McGee facility is located on about 68 acres at 2800 W. High Street in Springfield. For about 100 years, starting in 1907, Kerr-McGee and its predecessors treated railroad ties with creosote and other preservatives. Kerr-McGee decommissioned the wood treating operations at the facility in 2004 and transferred ownership to a spin-off company, Tronox.
Wood treating operations at the facility led to creosote-related contamination at and around the facility, including in the soil and groundwater. Tronox filed for bankruptcy, and as part of the 2011 Tronox bankruptcy settlement, the Multistate Trust was established to own, investigate, and clean up the facility and facilitate its safe, beneficial reuse. Greenfield Environmental Multistate Trust LLC is Trustee of the Multistate Trust. Because the facility borders residential neighborhoods, the Multistate Trust and the department are prioritizing evaluation of off-site contamination and any potential impacts to the community. The facility is regulated under a Missouri Hazardous Waste Management Facility (MHWMF) Part I Permit for post-closure care and corrective action.