The Nevada Environmental Response Trust (NERT) site (Site) is located within the Black Mountain Industrial (BMI) Complex near Henderson, Nevada. The Site, which was previously owned by Tronox LLC (formerly known as Kerr-McGee Chemical Corporation), is approximately 346 acres in size and is located 13 miles southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada in an unincorporated section of Clark County, Nevada. A portion of the Site is currently leased by EMD Acquisitions LLC (EMD) for electrolytic manganese dioxide production; EMD acquired Tronox's operations at the Site in 2018. The BMI Complex, located in unincorporated Clark County, is completely surrounded by the City of Henderson.
This website includes a summary of NERT Site information, as well as more detailed information about the Site’s operational history, historical regulatory actions and investigations, active groundwater treatment systems, current Remedial Investigation and Risk Assessment work, and the upcoming Feasibility Study.
Key Facts
· NDEP has been sharing its progress on the cleanup with the community since 2007; this website, as well as annual fact sheets, provide updated information to the public on activities at the NERT Site.
· The cleanup of groundwater contaminated by former operations at the NERT Site began in 1987 and continues today. Approximately 215,000 pounds of perchlorate contamination were removed from the environment in 2023; since treatment began, the total amount of perchlorate removed is approximately 12.9 million pounds.
· Groundwater is not a source of drinking water in the City of Henderson.
· The groundwater extraction and treatment system (GWETS) has reduced the amount of perchlorate contamination from the NERT Site entering the Las Vegas Wash, which flows into Lake Mead, by more than 90% relative to 2000 levels, increasing the overall water quality of Lake Mead and the Colorado River.
· Planned investigations regarding the nature and extent of contamination are complete.
· Seven key documents evaluating area investigations and cleanup options were submitted by NERT in 2023 and early 2024 representing over 9,000 pages of material. These include the Hydrogen-Based Gas Permeable Membrane Pilot Test Results Report, Revision 2; Baseline Health Risk Assessment Report for OU-2 Soil Gas and Groundwater, Revision 1; Feasibility Study Work Plan for OU-1 and OU-2, Revision 1; Baseline Health Risk Assessment Report for OU-1 Soil Gas and Groundwater, Revision 1; Refined Screening-Level Ecological Risk Assessment for Operable Unit 1, Revision 2; Refined Screening-Level Ecological Risk Assessment for Operable Unit 2, Revision 2; and Remedial Investigation Report for OU-1 and OU-2, Revision 2.
· Various groundwater treatment options are currently being tested and the results evaluated to determine the best long-term solutions.
Additional Project Documentation and Information
Project documents that have been approved by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) are available through NERT’s online Document Repository. Additional information about the overall progress of current and future Site activities is also available on NDEP's website. For help obtaining more information, please visit the contacts page.
The information provided on this website is also summarized in the NDEP Cover Letter (also available in Spanish) and 2023 NERT Fact Sheet (updated in January 2024, also available in Spanish).
Presentation Slides from the Community Interview Meeting held on June 21, 2017 are also available.
Previous Fact Sheets and Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) documents are also available via the links below:
2017 Fact Sheet (also available in Spanish)
2018 Fact Sheet (also available in Spanish)
2019 Fact Sheet (also available in Spanish)
2020 Fact Sheet (also available in Spanish)
2021 Fact Sheet (also available in Spanish)
2022 Fact Sheet (also available in Spanish)
2023 Fact Sheet (also available in Spanish)
2016 FAQ Document
2018 FAQ Document (also available in Spanish)
Other Environmental Cleanup Sites in the BMI Complex
In addition to the NERT Site, NDEP oversees monitoring and remediation efforts by various other parties within the BMI Complex, including Basic Remediation Company (BRC), Titanium Metals Corporation of America (TIMET), and Olin Chlor Alkali (formerly operated by multiple companies including the Stauffer Chemical Company [Stauffer], Pioneer Chlor Alkali Company [Pioneer], and Montrose Chemical Company [Montrose]). Environmental cleanup at these nearby sites are not the responsibility of NERT. The former American Pacific Corporation (AMPAC) Site, previously owned by Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON), is a former perchlorate manufacturing facility located west of the BMI Complex that is relevant to investigation of perchlorate impacts in Henderson due to the AMPAC Site’s proximity to the NERT Site and the similar nature of contaminants. On-going operation of the groundwater treatment facility associated with the former AMPAC Site is performed by Endeavour, LLC and is also overseen by NDEP. Environmental cleanup at the AMPAC Site is not the responsibility of NERT.
Information regarding the cleanup programs at these other sites within the BMI Complex and surrounding area are available on NDEP’s website.
Last updated: February 2024