![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Ross Metals
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Photo of Ross Metals site.
- 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: TND096070396Location: Rossville, Fayette County, TN
Lat/Long: 35.049160, -89.548610
Congressional District: 07
NPL Status: Proposed: 12/23/96; Final: 04/01/97
Affected Media: Ground water, Soil, Surface Water
Cleanup Status: Construction Complete, physical cleanup activities have been completed, groundwater treatment continues.
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: Potential mixed use - residential or commercial/industrial
Site Manager: Beth Walden (walden.beth@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Ross Metals Superfund site is located in Fayette County, Tennessee and covers approximately 14 acres on a 200-acre parcel of land owned by Ross Metals, Inc. Ross Metals operated as a secondary lead smelter from 1979 to 1992. Refined alloys were manufactured from lead-bearing scrap materials. The primary scrap material used for this process was spent automotive and industrial lead-acid batteries and other lead-bearing materials such as lead plates, scrap metal, and lead waste from various business and industrial processes. Prior to 1978, the property was undeveloped.
Wastes generated from lead smelting operations included slag, plastic chips, waste acid, lead emission control dusts, and lead-contaminated storm water. In particular, operations generated large quantities of blast slag as a by-product. More than 10,000 cubic yards of slag was buried during operations on the site in an unlined landfill, while another 6,000 cubic yards of slag was stockpiled at various locations on the site.
The area surrounding the site is primarily rural or residential. A municipal wastewater treatment plant is located adjacent to the western site boundary and a food production facility is located to the South.
Threats and Contaminants
Metals, specifically lead, are the primary contaminants of concern associated with the site. Site operations resulted in lead-contaminated surface soils located throughout most of the site, as well as lead-contaminated subsurface soil located in isolated portions of the site. Ground water and surface water have also been affected.
Site Cleanup Plan
The cleanup plan for the Ross Metals Site covered two operable units (OUs): OU-1 (soil and source materials) and OU-2 (ground water).
The Record of Decision was issued on April 2, 1999 for OU-1. The major components of the OU-1 cleanup approach included:
- Decontamination, demolition, and off-site disposal of pavement and buildings.
- Excavation of contaminated soil, landfill slag, and contaminated sediment.
- Backfill of excavated subsurface soil areas and landfill with clean soil. Off-site disposal of soils, slag, and sediment at an approved waste disposal facility.
- Maintenance and monitoring plan to assess the effectiveness of the cleanup action.
The Records of Decision for OU-2 was issued on September 17, 2002. Major components of the cleanup approach for OU-2 included:
- Implement institutional controls to limit future development and prevent installation of wells within contaminated ground water.
- Collect hydrological, geochemical, and microbial data as needed to establish use of monitored natural attenuation.
- Develop a monitoring program to confirm that contaminant levels in ground water are being reduced at rates consistent with meeting cleanup objectives.
Cleanup Progress
The Ross Metals site is Construction Complete - cleanup of contaminated soils and sediments has been completed. Ground water treatment is ongoing.
A removal action was conducted in 1994 and 1995 at the site. Approximately 4,400 gallons, 170 tons and 1,700 cubic yards of waste - battery chips, leading tank sludge and debris, sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid, and other materials - were removed. Approximately 16,000 cubic yards of blast slag remained in an unlined landfill and in several deteriorated buildings.
The site was placed on the NPL in 1997. Due to the threat of lead-bearing slag found at the site, a second removal action was conducted in the summer of 1998 to fence the contaminated area and cover the blast slag located in on-site buildings.
EPA began the cleanup of OU-1 at the site in 2001. The cleanup was conducted in two phases. The first phase included demolition of most of the on-site buildings; excavation and stockpiling of contaminated soil, sediment and slag; and off-site disposal of scrap metal. The second phase began in August 2002 and included the remaining OU-1 cleanup objectives - remaining buildings were demolished; metal debris was recycled; the remaining soil and slag was excavated and treated prior to off-site disposal; and the wetlands were revegetated.
Monitored natural attenuation for OU-2 is expected to take 5 years to implement.
In 2007, the State of Tennessee placed land use restrictions on the Ross Metals property that restrict the use of groundwater at the site limit future use of the site to industrial use.
Site cleanup activities have been undertaken primarily by EPA.
Enforcement Activities
During 1990, EPA's RCRA program issued a Complaint and Compliance Order against Ross Metals. After several months of extensive negotiations, the parties reached an agreement to settle the case. However, the company never signed the Consent Agreement. In 1992, Ross Metals, Inc. received an Administrative Dissolution under the Articles of Incorporation, after which all State and Federal RCRA enforcement actions at the site ended.
Community Involvement
After the Ross Metals site was listed on the NPL, EPA held an informational public meeting in 1998. During that meeting, citizens were encouraged to form a Community Advisory Group (CAG). The Rossville CAG, composed of approximately 10 citizens, met for the first time in May 1998. The CAG meets the first Tuesday of each month, as needed.
The Ross Metals site also has a Community Involvement Plan that outlines community involvement activities to be conducted during the site remedial investigation and feasibility study.
Future Work
Monitored natural attenuation will continue with periodic monitoring to ensure that contaminant mobility reduction or concentration reduction is occurring.
The Ross Metals site is scheduled for a Five-Year Review by September 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.
Rossville City Hall
360 Morrison Road
Rossville, Tennessee 38066
Administrative Record Index
- OU-1 (PDF) (10 pp, 152K, About PDF)
- OU-2 (PDF) (1 pg, 22K, About PDF)
Fact Sheets
- January 2000 Fact Sheet (PDF) (1 pg, 11K, About PDF)
- November 1998 - Proposed Remedial Plan (PDF) (13 pp, 230K, About PDF)
Decision Documents
- Redial Investigation/Feasibility Study Report (PDF) (411 pp, 1.2MB, About PDF)
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.