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Chemet Company
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Site photo
- 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: TND987768546Location: Moscow, Fayette County, TN
Lat/Long: 35.083610, -089.372490
Congressional District: 07
NPL Status: Proposed: 01/18/94; Final: 05/31/94: Deleted: 10/09/96
Affected Media: Soil, Debris
Cleanup Status: Deleted from the NPL
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: None
Site Manager: Kereima Newman (newman.keriema@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Chemet Co. site is located approximately one mile east of Moscow, Tennessee. Three buildings and two ponds make up the 5-acre site, which operated from 1978 to 1987 as an antimony oxide plant. Lead laden ore was processed at the facility to yield antimony, a commonly used fire retardant and plastics strengthener. During the years of operation, slag from the furnaces was systematically stored in unsecured stockpiles on the property. Bins, containers, and barrels of slag and other waste materials were also stored inside buildings, pending secondary treatment for disposal.
A playground at the LaGrange-Moscow Elementary School borders the eastern edge of the Chemet Co. site. In 1992, Chemet constructed a fence around the areas of off-site contamination to prevent the 600 students and 65 workers at the elementary school from further contact with the soil. Approximately 77 people reside within one mile of the site.
Threats and Contaminants
Samples collected from on-site ponds, drainage pathways, and the ball field of the adjacent school showed on-site soil was contaminated with lead, arsenic, and antimony.
Site Cleanup Plan
Based on site investigation activities, EPA concluded the site was a candidate for cleanup under Superfund Accelerated Cleanup Model (SACM) Guidelines. Sampling surveys, conducted in preparation of the Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis confirmed the soil was contaminated with elevated levels of lead, arsenic and antimony. EPA determined that a Non-Time-Critical Removal under SACM would accomplish cleanup goals.
In May 1996, EPA and the State of Tennessee issued a Record of Decision that determined that no further action was needed at the site.
Cleanup Progress
The Tennessee Department of Health and Environment (TDHE) visited the site in 1983 and 1989 and found drums containing antimony slag, two 15-gallon drums of sulfuric acid, and several bags of soda ash. TDHE also found the site to be easily accessible to trespassers. In 1990, the facility was secured with a 5-foot fence. In addition, in the early 1990s, TDHE removed approximately 300 tons of contaminated soil from an area north of Building No. 3 and stored and locked it in Building No. 2.
Site cleanup activities under SACM occurred in two phases between August 1994 and March 1995.
Phase I of the removal activities consisted of excavating, segregating, and categorizing the contaminated soil over the entire site. Contaminated areas that reached the ball field of the LaGrange-Moscow Elementary School were the first areas addressed in the removal activities. A minimum of six inches of soil was excavated from the entire site.
Phase II of the removal activities consisted of the disposal of over 20,000 tons of nonhazardous contaminated soil in the South Shelby Landfill in Memphis. An additional 600 tons of hazardous soil were disposed of off site. Over 120 drums of slag and 37 boxes of raw ore were disposed of off site. The on-site buildings were demolished, pressured washed, and removed from the site. The on-site private well was closed according to State regulations.
After the contaminated soil had been disposed of and confirmation sampling verified that on-site soil was below cleanup levels, the entire site was backfilled with a 6-inch layer of clean soil. The site was seeded with grass and the damaged areas of the perimeter fence were repaired. Removal activities were completed in March 1995.
Enforcement Activities
Community Involvement
EPA conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Chemet site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remained informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process.
Future Work
The Chemet site has been deleted from the NPL.
No Operation and Maintenance is necessary at the site.
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.
Moscow City Hall
266 Fourth Street
Moscow, TN 38057
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.