Sites in Reuse in Tennessee
Click on the image above to see a larger map with site locations.
American Creosote (Jackson Plant)
The 60-acre American Creosote Works, Inc. (Jackson Plant) site, located immediately southwest of Jackson, Tennessee, operated as a wood treating facility from the early 1930s until late 1981. The plant used creosote and pentachlorophenol (PCP) to preserve wood. Operations included discharging untreated process wastewater directly into the South Fork of the Forked Deer River until 1973, when the operation built a levee around the facility to contain wastewater and surface water runoff. While operating, process water and sludge stored in pits on site often overflowed into the main process area and the river during heavy rains and flooding. In 1983, EPA inspection and sampling findings verified site-wide creosote and PCP contamination in area soil, surface water, sludge, and shallow subsurface water. Later that year, EPA conducted short-term cleanup activities to treat and dispose of wastewater and to remove, treat and bury sludge under a clay cap in a former lagoon area. In 1986, EPA listed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL). Additional cleanup activities occurred between 1989 and 1996 including the collection and proper disposal of tanked liquid waste and sludge, the demolition of contaminated buildings and equipment and the excavation and treatment of contaminated soil. Institutional controls are in place prohibiting potable use of area ground water and digging or excavation in areas of buried treated soil. The site is now in reuse as an equipment storage facility by property owners Dement Construction and JEA. Between 2006 and 2007, Dement Construction placed fill material over the cap to upgrade the site for use as an equipment yard. Dement Construction also constructed buildings on site, including an office building and maintenance/storage shed. The Tennessee Department of Environmental Control and EPA continue to coordinate with Dement as the agencies perform groundwater remedial activities at the Site.
Updated 1/2013
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Arlington Blending & Packaging (Arlington, TN)
The 2.3-acre Arlington Blending & Packaging Superfund site in the town of Arlington, Tennessee, was once home to a pesticide formulation and packaging facility. During its seven-year operation, pesticide spills and leaks at the facility gradually led to soil, sediment and ground water contamination. In 1987, EPA added this site to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). In 1996, cleanup activities included excavation, stockpiling, treatment and backfilling of over 41,000 tons of contaminated soil over most of the site. Annual ground water monitoring continues to ensure that any lingering contaminants do not pose a threat to human health and the environment. In 2004, EPA issued a Ready for Reuse (RfR) determination for Arlington Blending & Packaging, designed to reassure Arlington residents and officials of the site’s safety for specified types of reuse. EPA Region 4 worked with the Town of Arlington to develop remedy-friendly schematics for a neighborhood park at the site. EPA participation in the park planning process ensured that construction activities to install playground equipment and other features did not affect the site’s remedy in any way. Mary Alice Park, named for the adjacent subdivision, opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 15, 2006. The park is accessible to all residents of the surrounding residential communities and includes a playground, field space, walking and biking trails, exercise stations, a half-court basketball court and signs that explain the history of the park and celebrate its successful redevelopment. In recognition of the site’s redevelopment, Franklin Hill, Director of Region 4, Superfund Division, presented EPA's "Excellence in Site Reuse" award to the Town of Arlington, Tennessee on June 17, 2009. The site redevelopment enhanced EPA's selected remedy and resulted in the revitalization of the property and the surrounding neighborhood.
Updated 1/2013
For more information:
- 2004 Return to Use Demonstration Project (PDF) (2 pp, 863K, About PDF)
- Ready for Reuse (RFR) Determination (PDF) (23 pp, 580K, About PDF)
- CERCLIS Superfund Site Profile
National Fireworks
The National Fireworks site is located east of Memphis in Cordova, Tennessee. From 1941 to 1945, National Fireworks manufactured various munitions including flares, grenades, incendiary bombs, as well as 20-millimeter (mm) and 40-mm rounds for the Army and Navy. Also located on the property are areas formerly used for testing flares, a former burn pit used for building materials, and areas formerly used for disposal. A site inspection conducted in 2001, and an expanded site inspection in 2004, discovered several contaminants in site soil and ground water as a result of historical site operations. The site is not listed on the National Priorities List (NPL), but is being managed as a Superfund Alternative Site. This approach uses the same investigation and cleanup process and standards used for sites listed on the NPL. Studies to determine the nature and extent of contamination, and to determine suitable cleanup options, are currently underway. Today, the former National Fireworks Site is an active industrial park, strengthening area infrastructure and providing employment to the local community.
Updated 1/2013
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Oak Ridge Reservation
The U S Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) Reindustrialization Program is in the process of transforming portions of the Reservation into a business center for private sector industries. The DOE ORR facility encompasses 35,000 acres and is located within and adjacent to the corporate limits of the city of Oak Ridge in eastern Tennessee. The DOE ORR property boundary contains three main, but geographically separate, facilities: The East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) (formally known as K-25/27); the Y-12 National Nuclear Security Administrations (Y-12- NNSA) Complex and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). These three large industrial production facilities were constructed as part of the World War II-era Manhattan Project. A significant portion of the DOE ORR is undeveloped forested land. Decades of site operations resulted in wide spread area contamination, and to EPA’s placement of the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989. To date, the primary environmental cleanup and redevelopment activities have occurred at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), where more than 10 private companies have utilized over 1,000 of 2,200 acres for reuse. The businesses are reusing the ETTP site’s industrial-scale infrastructure, buildings and advanced telecommunications capabilities. Additionally, the facility’s proximity to major highways, as well as access to rail and river transportation further draws private industry to this location. The approximate 600 acre Y-12 National Security Complex at the ORR maintains a crucial current and future mission for national security. Limited portions (approximately 18 acres) of this industrial complex have become available for private industry reuse. However, no further re-development of this complex is anticipated in the near future. The approximate 500-acre ORNL complex, a multi-program international research facility, has provided a smaller area (2 acres) for redevelopment, and no further property transfers are envisioned at ORNL in the foreseeable future. Finally, DOE has placed nearly 3,000 of the Reservation’s 35,000 acres into a conservation easement. The easement area now includes a Wildlife Management Area and a State Natural Area.
Updated 1/2013
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Smalley-Piper
The approximately 9-acre Smalley-Piper Superfund site is located in Collierville, Tennessee. The facility began operations in the 1960s as a manufacturer of farm tools. In the 1970s, the facility manufactured and treated magnesium battery casings with chromic acid. Wastewater was treated and discharged to an on-site equalization pond; the use of the equalization pond resulted in soil and ground water contamination. In 2005, EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL). Prior to shutting down in 2007, the facility applied "hard facing" to used farm tools. This process involved the application of iron slurry to used tools under high temperatures to harden the new surfaces. In 2008, EPA issued a cleanup plan for the site. Planned cleanup activities included excavation, chemical treatment and off-site disposal of contaminated soil, and extraction and on-site treatment and disposal of contaminated ground water. EPA currently leads site activities in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). Ground water monitoring is ongoing at the site to ensure the success of the remedy. A self-storage facility currently operates on a portion of the site.
Updated 1/2013
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