Cleanup at the former Kerr-McGee Chemical Plant property was a key topic in Mayor Robert Smith’s comments at the Rotary Club’s weekly meeting Tuesday.
A $7 million trust fund for the city of Columbus is being used to clean up 28 homes contaminated by the former plant that manufactured pressure-treated wood products, the mayor said.
The facility used pentachlorophenol, commonly known as PCP, for some of its processes. The plant was closed and the site was sealed off in 2003 amid allegations of environmental contamination that creosote was leaching into the soil. Creosote is a wood treatment chemical that has been linked to cancer, skin irritation and respiratory complaints.
The city and the Columbus Community Action Group are collaborating on the cleanup along with the state Department of Environmental Quality and Environmental Protection Agency, Smith said. The EPA administers the trust fund and will provide at least a $7 million match toward cleanup.
EPA designated the area as a Superfund site and added it to the National Priorities List of hazardous waste sites Sept. 15.
The site is among 26 nationwide identified for feasibility studies to determine appropriateness for renewable energy. EPA has designated $1 million for the studies.
Smith said the city is getting $50,000 of that money to determine whether a solar panel farm can be built on the site.
City officials want to put a portable 2-megawatt solar panel farm on 25 of the plant’s 90 acres with ultimate plans to power half the city’s 10,000 homes. The city’s proposal also includes generating power for site cleanup.
An economic development official questioned whether the property is fit for anything. Joe Higgins, CEO for the Columbus-Lowndes Development Link, said Tuesday in a telephone interview that he doesn’t believe 90 acres is enough for a solar panel farm.
He talked previously with a developer about putting a solar panel farm at Columbus Air Force Base. The first question the developer asked was whether at least 300 acres were available.
The EPA said in a news release it is studying each site for solar, wind, biomass or geothermal power. The site’s situation will determine which power source is chosen.
Higgins said wind power would require more acreage than solar power. Further, industrial vehicle access is limited at the property because it’s in a residential area. However, the site has its advantages.
“When Kerr-McGee closed that facility, we showed it a lot,” Higgins said.
The potential for use as a rail car storage facility or anything requiring rail access is real, he added. “For rail transportation, it’s better than a damn good site.”
The Superfund designation is a stigma that makes the property hard to market, Higgins said. At day’s end, developers will choose a clean site over an unclean one.
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