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Carrier Air Conditioning Company
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Site photo goes here
- Additional Site Photos
- Site Video
Additional Resources
- Site Cleanup Terms - can be found in EPA's glossary
- EPA Guides to Cleanup Technologies
- Superfund Community Involvement (PDF) (17 pp, 130K, About PDF)
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: TND044062222Location: Collierville, Shelby County, TN
Lat/Long: 35.043330, -089.690410
Congressional District: 07
NPL Status: Proposed: 06/24/84; Final: 02/21/90
Affected Media: Ground water, Sludge, Soil
Cleanup Status: Construction Complete - Physical cleanup activities have been completed.
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Continued use - industrial manufacturing
Site Manager: Femi Akindele (akindele.femi@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Carrier Air Conditioning site is located in Collierville, Tennessee, on a 135-acre parcel of land owned by the Carrier Corporation. Since the late 1960s, the company has manufactured residential heating and air conditioning units at the site. In the process of assembling air conditioning units, aluminum sheeting is stamped and assembled with copper tubing to form air heat exchangers. Stamping and forming oils and dirt are removed from these parts prior to final assembly. Until about 1986, trichloroethylene (TCE) was the primary solvent used to degrease and clean these parts.
In 1979 and 1985, TCE releases occurred from solvent storage systems to an area just south of the main manufacturing building. In addition, behind the facility, a wastewater lagoon operated by the plant from 1972 to 1979 and received TCE- and zinc-contaminated waste sometime during its seven-year operational period that resulted in contamination of lagoon sediment. The lagoon is approximately 300 feet from the Town of Collierville's water plant and the spill areas are approximately 2,000 feet from the water plant. In July 1986, TCE was found in the water plant. The water plant serves an estimated 12,800 people.Threats and Contaminants
Ground water and soil have been contaminated with chlorinated solvents.
Site Cleanup Plan
The 1992 Record of Decision established the following cleanup activities for the site:
- Soil vapor extraction (SVE) in the main plant area.
- SVE at the North Remediation System (NRS), installed in 1989. The NRS addresses TCE releases to the former lagoon northwest of the manufacturing facility.
- Containment of the ground water plume using the Town of Collierville's Water Plant #2 (WP#2) wells, with ongoing treatment of extracted ground water via air stripping.
- Institutional controls limiting future land use at the site to industrial, and limiting water well construction in the area which may adversely impact containment at WP#2.
Cleanup Progress
In 1989, a SVE system was installed in the former wastewater lagoon area (NRS) during cleanup activities and has operated continuously since then.
The ground water treatment system at WP#2 was installed during 1990 to remove TCE from ground water before it enters the municipal water supply. It has been operating since installation. Air strippers remove TCE and its degradation products from raw water prior to water being treated with chlorine. The operation of the system is expected to continue to 2014.
The SVE system for the main plant area (1979 and 1985 spill areas) was installed during 1994 and 1995 and has operated since that time.
In 1996, Carrier and the Town of Collierville finalized operations and maintenance responsibilities for WP#2 and the ground water treatment system installed in 1990.
Carrier expanded its facility in 2004/2005. Soil impacted by TCE was excavated during the expansion process.
Land at the Collierville site is zoned industrial. The Town of Collierville has indicated that long-range plans for the area anticipate land use will remain industrial/commercial. In addition, Shelby County prohibits installation of drinking water wells within 0.5 miles of state or federal Superfund sites unless the well owner can demonstrate that the well will not enhance the migration of contaminants in ground water.
Enforcement Activities
Carrier and EPA signed a Consent Decree in 1989 requiring Carrier to perform the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study to determine the type and extent of contamination at the site.
In February 1993, EPA issued a Unilateral Administrative Order to Carrier to conduct the work detailed in the Record of Decision.Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Carrier site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process. Outreach activities have included public notices and information meetings on cleanup progress and activities.
Future Work
The ground water treatment system at WP#2 will continue to operate.
The next Five Year Review for this site is due in FY 2009.Site Administrative Documents
Site Repository
For more information or to view any site-related documents, please visit the site information repository at the following location. As new documents are generated, they will be placed in the information repository for public information.
Memphis-Shelby County Public Library
91 Walnut St.
Collierville, TN 38017
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.