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Superfund Redevelopment Initiative

Superfund Sites in Reuse in Tennessee

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American Creosote Works, Inc. (Jackson Plant)

The 60-acre American Creosote Works, Inc. (Jackson Plant) Superfund site is located southwest of Jackson, Tennessee, within the South Fork of the Forked Deer River (SFFDR) floodplain. A wood-treating facility operated at the site from the early 1930s until 1981. The facility discharged untreated process wastewater directly into the SFFDR. Process water and sludge stored in on-site pits often overflowed into the main process area and the river during heavy rains and flooding. In 1983, an EPA investigation found that site activities had contaminated soil, sediment, surface water and shallow groundwater. In 1986, EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL). EPA has conducted cleanup activities at the site since 1986. The site consists of three operable units (OUs). OU1 construction activities took place from 1989 to 1993. It included cleanup of tanked liquid waste and sludge and demolition of site structures. OU2 cleanup activities took place from 1996 to 2013. These included the treatment and disposal of wastewater and solidification and capping of more than 6 acres of highly-contaminated soil in the former process area. Land and groundwater use restrictions are in place. OU3 groundwater investigations are ongoing. Site owners Meadow Street Properties, LLC lease the site to Dement Construction Company, LLC (Dement) who operate an equipment storage yard on site. Between 2006 and 2007, Dement placed fill material over the cap to upgrade the area for use as an equipment yard. Dement also built an office building and a maintenance and storage shed on site. Although EPA notified Dement to cease any soil-moving activities on site in 2015, the company has placed additional fill material in the areas of several former lagoons. EPA is currently working with Dement to sample this fill material and determine what, if any, actions are needed to protect human health and the environment.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA had data on 2 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 2 people and generated an estimated $203,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

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Arlington Blending & Packaging Athletic Fields Reuse Cultural/Historical Reuse Green Infrastructure Reuse

Playground at the siteArlignton Blending & PackagingThe 2.3-acre Arlington Blending & Packaging Superfund site is located in Arlington, Tennessee. A pesticide formulation and packaging plant operated on site from 1971 to 1978. Site operations and pesticide spills and leaks contaminated soil and groundwater. In 1987, EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL). Cleanup activities included disposal of contaminated equipment and waste chemicals, removal and treatment of contaminated soil, and monitoring of groundwater and surface water. In 2004, EPA issued a Ready for Reuse (RfR) Determination for the site. EPA designed the RfR Determination to reassure Arlington residents and officials of the site’s compatibility with specific types of reuse. EPA Region 4 worked with the town of Arlington on remedy-friendly plans for a neighborhood park at the site. EPA’s participation in the planning process made sure that playground construction activities did not affect the site’s remedy. Mary Alice Park, named for a nearby subdivision, opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in November 2006. It includes a playground, field space, walking and biking trails, and exercise stations. It also includes a half-court basketball court and signs that explain the park’s history and celebrate its successful redevelopment. EPA Region 4 recognized the town of Arlington with its Excellence in Site Reuse award in June 2009. The site’s redevelopment enhanced EPA’s selected remedy and revitalized the property and the surrounding neighborhood.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.

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Carrier Air Conditioning Co.

Front entryway to the Carrier Corporation buildingCarrier Air Conditioning Co.The 135-acre Carrier Air Conditioning Co. Superfund site is located in Collierville, Tennessee. Starting in 1967, Carrier Air Conditioning Co. (Carrier) made air conditioning units on site. The process used solvents to degrease metal parts. The company disposed of wastewater containing solvents and metals in a lagoon on site. In addition, two solvent spills occurred at the main plant building in 1979 and 1985. State investigations in the mid-1980s found that site activities had contaminated soil and groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. Cleanup activities included treatment of contaminated soil and groundwater. The groundwater treatment system has been operating since 1990. The soil vapor extraction system has been operating since 1995. Carrier continues to operate its manufacturing plant at the site.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA had data on 2 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 1,201 people and generated an estimated $38,329,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

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Flura Corporation Leaking AST Site

The Flura Corporation Leaking AST Superfund site is located in rural Newport, Tennessee. The area was once home to a chemical manufacturing and blending laboratory. Flura Corporation used a large volume and variety of chemicals, including gases, acids, caustics, flammable liquids, reactive compounds, volatile organic compounds and halogenated compounds. In 2000, EPA removed and treated sensitive and explosive waste containers filled with toxic chemicals and gases. Cleanup workers also removed cylinders containing highly reactive or poisonous gases from the site. EPA removed contaminated soils and leaking containers and repaired a contaminated drainage sink. In total, crews removed thousands of containers and drums and neutralized hundreds of pounds of liquid acids. EPA backfilled the site with clean soil and planted the area with wildflowers. EPA cleared the site for recreational reuse; a local Boy Scouts of America troop uses the hilltop as a campsite. Fencing remains around the site to deter trespassers and vandalism. An all-terrain vehicle trail extends around the perimeter of the fence.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.

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ICG Iselin Railroad Yard

The 80-acre ICG Iselin Railroad Yard Superfund site is located in Jackson, Tennessee. In 1906, the Mobile & Ohio Railroad Company operated a rail yard with train engine repair and refueling services on site. In 1972, the company became the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad Company (ICG). The firm continued operations until 1986, when ICG sold the site property to Norfolk Southern. The Williams Steel Company purchased part of the site to operate a steel fabrication facility in 1989. In 1990 and 1991, the Tennessee Division of Remediation (TDOR) found contaminated soil and groundwater. Further investigations by TDOR and EPA determined that improper handling of storage tanks, fueling stations and disposal areas on site resulted in lead contamination of soil and groundwater. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1994. In 1998, state and federal agencies worked together to remove and replace lead-contaminated soil. Grass now grows on the cleaned-up areas. EPA also restricts residential groundwater use. Current site zoning allows for industrial and commercial uses. EPA took the site off the NPL in 2002. The Williams Steel Company continues to operate a steel fabrication facility on site. The Norfolk Southern property remains in use as a railroad yard.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA had data on 3 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 22 people and generated an estimated $5,192,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

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Illinois Central Railroad Company's Johnston Yard

The 288-acre Illinois Central Railroad Company’s Johnston Yard Superfund site is located in Memphis, Tennessee. The site includes an active rail yard, a locomotive fueling and servicing center, and a freight car repair facility. Since 1910, an active rail yard has operated at the site. EPA did not place the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) but considers it an NPL-caliber site. EPA is addressing the site through the Superfund Alternative Approach. Cleanup activities include the use of enhanced fluid recovery to remove diesel from the subsurface, groundwater monitoring, and institutional controls to limit land use and prevent the installation of drinking water wells on site until contamination levels meet cleanup goals. An intermodal facility transferring cargo from trains to trucks operated on site until 2006. Canadian National bought the Illinois Central Railroad in 1998. Canadian National then changed the facility’s name to Harrison Yard in 2009. The site is in continued use as an active rail yard. It includes a locomotive fueling and servicing center and a car repair facility.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA had data on one on-site business. This business employed 625 people and generated an estimated $103,125,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

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Oak Ridge Reservation (USDOE)

Aerial view of the Oak Ridge Reservation (USDOE) SiteOak Ridge Reservation (USDOE)The Oak Ridge Reservation (USDOE) site is located in Oak Ridge in Anderson and Roane Counties, Tennessee, about 20 miles west of Knoxville. The site includes three facilities – the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) (formerly known as the K-25 Site or the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant), the Y-12 National Security Complex (formerly known as the Y-12 Plant), and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) (formerly known as the X-10 Site). These three large industrial production facilities were part of the World War II-era Manhattan Project. Decades of site operations resulted in widespread area contamination. EPA listed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989. EPA has worked closely with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) throughout the cleanup process. The project team has demolished facilities, disposed of legacy waste, and cleaned up soil and some groundwater sources of contamination. The ultimate goals for ETTP are to have soil cleaned up to protective levels and the area reindustrialized and fully transferred to the private sector by 2020. In 1996, DOE and the Oak Ridge community officially launched ETTP’s reindustrialization program. Through the program, as cleanups have finished, DOE has transferred hundreds of acres to the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee (CROET) and the City of Oak Ridge to create two industrial parks (the Heritage Center and the Horizon Center). The program now serves as a model for DOE’s reindustrialization efforts across the country. More than 20 businesses currently operate at ETTP, generating almost $108 million in annual sales, supporting 625 jobs and providing more than $40 million in annual employment income to the community. Today, CROET and the City of Oak Ridge continue to work together on redevelopment efforts at ETTP. The organizations have built spec buildings to attract businesses, installed three solar arrays to provide low-cost renewable energy to building tenants, and supported the designation of the footprint of the demolished K-25 Building as part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, as well as portions of Y-12 and ORNL. More than 720 acres of land and 332,000 square feet of building space have been made available for new economic development to date, leading to an estimated $100 million private investment in technology, industry and renewables. About 3,000 acres of ETTP are now under conservation easement, preserving the area’s natural resources. CROET has also restored large portions of ETTP as greenlands and wetlands, reintroducing native grasslands to over 100 acres, building trails, protecting a significant bird habitat, establishing a certified wildlife habitat and arboretum, and opening previously restricted natural areas to the public. During ongoing cleanup efforts, DOE continues to use other areas of the site for mission-related work.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.

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Smalley-Piper

The 9-acre Smalley-Piper Superfund site is located in Collierville, Tennessee. A manufacturing facility on site made farm tools and battery casings in the 1960s and 1970s. Wastewater discharged to a pond on site and into drainage ditches, resulting in soil and groundwater contamination. Groundwater contamination affected the Memphis Aquifer, the primary source of drinking water in the area, and posed a potential human health risk. Groundwater contamination also affected two of Collierville’s public drinking water supply wells, which the town no longer uses. In 2005, EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL). Planned cleanup activities included removal, treatment and disposal of contaminated soil, and extraction and treatment of groundwater. EPA completed the soil cleanup in 2012 and constructed a groundwater treatment system in 2015. The system has been in operation since December 2015. Over 47 million gallons of groundwater have been successfully treated as of June 2019. EPA currently leads site activities in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Groundwater monitoring at the site is ongoing. A self-storage facility currently operates on part of the site.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA had data on one on-site business. This business employed 2 people and generated an estimated $146,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

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Southside Chattanooga Lead Site

The Southside Chattanooga Lead Superfund site is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The site includes properties in the downtown area of Chattanooga. From the early 1900s until the 1970s, residents used foundry waste material as fill on these properties. This process contaminated the properties with lead. In 2012, EPA removed lead-contaminated soil from 84 residential properties. Additional residential sampling in 2016 and 2017 identified elevated lead in soils at another 150 residential properties. EPA listed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2018. Site investigations and cleanup are ongoing.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.

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Velsicol Chemical Corp. (Hardeman County) Pollinator Habitat Reuse

The 27-acre Velsicol Chemical Corp. (Hardeman County) Superfund site is located in Toone, Tennessee. The Velsicol Chemical Corporation operated a landfill on site from 1964 to 1973. Landfill operations resulted in soil, solid waste, air, surface water and groundwater contamination from pesticide manufacturing wastes. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. Cleanup activities include long-term monitoring of groundwater, surface water, fish tissue and air. Remedies for contamination source control include landfill upgrades, capping and monitoring. A soil vapor extraction (SVE) pilot study in 2008 determined that SVE was a suitable cleanup option for contamination source control. In 2012, EPA updated the remedy to include SVE and a landfill cap extension with drainage improvements. EPA restored 3 acres of the site as pollinator habitat in 2016.
Last updated September 2019

As of December 2019, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.

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