Navassa mayor optimistic as EPA outlines proposed cleanup plans for Superfund site

NAVASSA, NC (WWAY) — After decades of environmental cleanup, Navassa officials say they can finally see the finish line for the Kerr-McGee Superfund site.

Residents gathered Tuesday night to hear updates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the Multistate Trust on proposed cleanup plans for the remaining contaminated portions of the former Kerr-McGee Chemical Corporation property.

Navassa Mayor Rose Terry described the meeting as “a light at the end of the tunnel” for a process that has spanned more than two decades.

The Kerr-McGee plant once treated wooden railroad ties with creosote, an oily wood preservative. While the facility brought jobs to the community, some compounds found in creosote are known to pose significant health risks. Cleanup efforts have been underway for years across portions of the more than 150-acre site where the plant once operated.

“We saw the creosote plant, and we didn’t know that there was going to be contamination,” Terry said. “It brought jobs so people were very happy with the plant itself.”

Much of the site has already undergone remediation, and Tuesday’s presentation focused on the next phase of work in approximately 30 acres of contaminated marshland.

“We’ve been studying about 30 acres of the marsh to try and understand how bad the contamination is and where we need to take a really aggressive cleanup action, versus where we can take less aggressive actions or even let Mother Nature continue to do the cleanup,” said Erik Spalvin, an EPA remedial project manager.

Terry said key decisions are expected later this year, with additional work planned in spring 2027. She said officials are hopeful cleanup of the site will be completed by 2028.

“So we’re looking at the next steps very quickly in the fall of 2026 and then the spring of 2027 and finally, completion by 2028,” Terry said. “So we’re very hopeful we’re nearing the end.”

Once remediation is complete, Terry says the property will be transformed into a community asset.

“We’re looking forward to getting a Moze Center, which is a museum that will highlight the people of the town and highlight the area and keep the culture alive with all of the new incoming communities,” Terry said. “So we’re very excited about that.”

Another meeting will be held in mid-August to present the finalized clean-up plan.