JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A major cleanup is set to begin soon on contaminated land on the west bank of the St. Johns River in the Talleyrand neighborhood.
The Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp Superfund site is an area where fertilizer and pesticides were produced from 1893 to 1978.
Kerr-McGee and its predecessors used the site to manufacture, formulate, package, and distribute fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicide
“Both of those types of contamination do last a longtime in the environment, so they’ve been localized here mostly to the property,” said Peter Cornais, the project manager with Greenfield Environmental Multistate Trust LLC.
Kerr-McGee stopped operations in 1978, and since then, the roughly 31 acres have been vacant because of contamination.
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Now, a long-awaited cleanup is starting soon and its all funded by Kerr-McGee and other companies responsible for site contamination.
Cornais outlined what the cleanup process will look like.
“We have source treatment areas where we mix and pour cement to stabilize the soil, and that makes sure that the groundwater moves around the soil int the future,” said Cornais. “We do have some soil excavations to consolidate some contamination on site.”
And over by the water, workers will install a bulkhead along the St. Johns River to keep the sediments along the shoreline.
Experts said currently there is no threat to those who live and work near the site.
As the cleanup starts, there will be air monitoring and other measures to control dust and odors to protect the health and safety of neighbors and minimize impacts on nearby workers and residents.
They will be moving equipment in this week and cleanup is expected to start next year and be finished in 2026.
Once it is complete, the land could be sold and developed.
If you want to learn more, there will be a community meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 14th from Noon to 2:00 p.m. and then 4:30–6:30 p.m.
It will be held at Toon Town, on E. Church Street, Jacksonville, FL.
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