Reuse planning begins as cleanup continues at Superfund site

COLUMBUS, Miss. (AP) – Trustees in charge of cleaning a federal superfund site in Mississippi said they have removed 50,000 tons of contaminated soil.

The Multistate Environmental Response Trust owns a former wood-treating facility in Columbus that once belonged to the now-defunct Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp. The 90-acre  site is on the federal Superfund environmental cleanup list because it’s contaminated with creosote that was used to treat wood.

Director of Environmental Programs Lauri Gorton says the soil was hauled to the Golden Triangle landfill. She says cleanup work will continue through at least May. She says hundreds of samples from surrounding neighborhoods generally show no contamination.

Gorton says the trust was given $1 billion for cleanup of sites nationwide. It is now planning for redevelopment and wants suggestions from nearby residents.

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