Overview of the Former Tronox/Kerr-McGee Facility
Background and History
For about 100 years, starting in 1907, Kerr-McGee and its predecessors pressure-treated railroad ties with creosote tar and other preservatives at the ±68-acre Facility in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri.
Pressure-treated wood was transferred to a drip-track, where drippage often seeped into soil until a concrete pad was installed. Until 1976, process wastewater was discharged into unlined lagoons (surface impoundments) where the creosote could “gravity-separate” for recovery and reuse. Railcars delivered green ties, creosote, and other process chemicals to the Facility. In 2004, the Facility was decommissioned and most buildings were removed and/or demolished.
Kerr-McGee’s operations released creosote-related contaminants into the soil and groundwater zones at and around the Facility. Primary contaminants include dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) as creosote, naphthalene, and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene).
Creosote has migrated off the Facility and has previously been discovered in two springs near the Facility (Vich Spring and Woodlawn Spring). Starting in 1976, Kerr-McGee (and later Tronox) implemented some corrective actions at the Facility, under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) permits and regulations.
The Multistate Trust’s Involvement
In 2005, Kerr-McGee transferred the Facility and numerous other sites to Tronox, a spin-off company newly formed by Kerr-McGee. Tronox struggled, mostly due to Kerr-McGee’s past environmental liabilities, and filed for bankruptcy in 2009.
In 2011, as part of the Tronox bankruptcy settlement, the Multistate Environmental Response Trust (the Multistate Trust) was created by a federal bankruptcy court to own, investigate, clean up, and facilitate the safe, beneficial reuse of the Facility, along with hundreds of other contaminated former Kerr-McGee/Tronox sites in 31 states.
The Multistate Trust is a private, independent environmental response trust with the purpose of protecting human health and the environment. For more information, visit the Multistate Trust website.
In Springfield, the Multistate Trust performs its work under the oversight of and as approved by the MoDNR. The beneficiaries of the Multistate Trust include the United States, represented by EPA, and the State of Missouri, represented by the MoDNR. Both EPA, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the MoDNR must approve the sale, transfer, or disposition of all or any portion of the Facility.
Timeline of the Springfield Facility
1907
Wood treating operations began.
1965
1954 Aerial Photograph. Click image to enlarge.
Kerr-McGee bought the Facility and continued operating it.
1972
Off-Facility migration of dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) was found in Vich Spring.
1976
Kerr-McGee (and later Tronox) implemented some Facility investigations and corrective measures, in response to EPA and MoDNR requirements.
1987–1988
Kerr-McGee entered into a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Consent Order with EPA.
1988 - 2011
Under EPA and MoDNR requirements and oversight, Kerr-McGee (and later Tronox) continued to perform certain investigations and remediation work at the Facility.
2002
The MoDNR and EPA issued a Missouri Hazardous Waste Management Facility (MHWMF) Part I Permit to Kerr-McGee. The permit required post-closure care (PCC) and corrective actions for the Facility.
2004
The City of Springfield found creosote-like material in Woodlawn Spring. The Facility was decommissioned by Kerr-McGee.
2005–2006
Kerr-McGee created Tronox Incorporated (now known as Tronox Limited) and transferred the Facility and other contaminated properties to Tronox.
2009
Tronox filed for bankruptcy mostly due to financial issues associated with Kerr-McGee’s past environmental liabilities.
2011
As part of the Tronox bankruptcy settlement, the Multistate Trust was established by a federal bankruptcy court to take ownership of the Facility and hundreds of other former Kerr-McGee properties and to receive funding from Tronox.
2011–2015
With limited funds, the Multistate Trust performed environmental actions and maintenance to comply with the MHWMF Part I Permit. The Multistate Trust inspected and maintained the hazardous waste management units, operated the groundwater treatment system, and performed groundwater monitoring.
2016
The Multistate Trust received additional funds from the Anadarko litigation and was able to begin proactively investigating the Facility to refine the extent of on-Facility contamination and off-Facility contaminant migration.
2016–2018
The Multistate Trust implemented a Remedial Action Optimization Work Plan to update the conceptual site model and better understand the complex hydrogeology around the Facility.
2017–2019
The Multistate Trust conducted outdoor air and vapor intrusion studies to evaluate air quality in adjacent neighborhoods and determine if vapor intrusion into nearby homes from Facility releases was occurring and presenting risks. Indoor air sampling of homes, sewer air sampling, and outdoor air sampling were performed.
2020–2021
The City of Springfield and Multistate Trust worked to repair parts of the City sewer main pipe that had been degraded by chemicals related to Facility operations.
2021
The Multistate Trust collected residential well water samples from 39 properties. None of the Facility-related contaminants were found to exceed the groundwater protection standard (GWPS). The Multistate Trust also worked with the Greene County Highway Department (GCHD) to perform investigations on GCHD property adjacent to the Facility.
2022
The Multistate Trust continued to perform PCC of the closed hazardous waste surface impoundments and land farm and implement corrective actions at the Facility. The Multistate Trust is continuing to collect environmental data as part of the MoDNR-approved Off-Facility Investigation Work Plan.
Funds for the Springfield Facility
Cleanup funds were provided by the companies responsible for the contamination—not by the U.S. government or by tax dollars. Funding came from the Tronox bankruptcy settlement and included proceeds from a settlement of fraud claims against Kerr-McGee and related subsidiaries of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (the Anadarko litigation).
In 2011, when the Multistate Trust was created, limited initial funding was sufficient only to perform basic activities, such as PCC inspections, operating the groundwater treatment system, groundwater sampling, and mowing. The receipt of additional funds from the Anadarko litigation in 2015 and 2016 allowed the Multistate Trust, under MoDNR oversight, to proactively conduct Facility investigations to understand the extent of contamination, and plan and implement remedial actions.
The Multistate Trust can use site-specific cleanup funds only for environmental actions, such as site investigations, studies, designs, cleanup actions, operations, and maintenance.
Site-specific funds cannot be used for other purposes, including the actual redevelopment of the Facility, or compensating people for health effects or property damage associated with the Facility.
Tronox Tort Claims Trust
THE TRONOX TORT CLAIMS TRUST IS NOT PART OF THE INVESTIGATION, REMEDIATION, AND REDEVELOPMENT PLANNING OF THE SPRINGFIELD FACILITY.
As a result of the Tronox bankruptcy proceedings, the Multistate Trust was created to perform investigation, cleanup, and redevelopment planning activities at the Facility and many other sites.
A separate Trust – the Tronox Tort Claims Trust – was established to pay personal injury claims (medical or health) and property damage claims associated with Kerr-McGee’s prior operations.
Visit the Tronox Tort Claims Trust website or contact the Tronox Tort Claims Trust by email at tronoxtorttrust@epiqglobal.com or phone at (800) 753-2480.
The Multistate Trust cannot pay personal injury or property damage claims. The Multistate Trust and the MoDNR have no involvement in the Tronox Tort Claims Trust. See our fact sheet here.