OSWER/OSRTI Washington, DC 20460



### ATIONAL RIORITIES IST 

## N P L (NPL)

***Final Site *** September 2010 

### SMOKEY MOUNTAIN SMEL TERS Knox County, Tennessee

 **Site Location :**  The site is located at 1455 Maryville Pike, south of the city of Knoxville, T ennessee.

 **Site History:**
From 1922 to 1979

, the prope rty wa s occupied by several companies

, primarily for the production of agricultural chemicals. In 1979

, Smokey Mountain Smelters (SMS) was established and operated as a secondary aluminum smelter. The smelting process involved the melting of scrap alumin um and aluminum dross (a waste byproduct of primary and secondary aluminum smelting) and casting the molten aluminum ingots. Currently

, the site is abandoned and consists of a partially barren and partially wooded 29 acre property, which contains the rema ins of the inactive secondary aluminum smelter and the inactive fertilizer factory.

 **Site Contamination/Contaminants:** Approximately 2,700 cubic yards of aluminum dross and 75,000 cubic yards of salt cake remain on site in two unco ntrolled waste piles. The dross residues contain extremely corrosive and water

- soluble salts containing aluminum nitride, sodium and potassium chlorides, and heavy metals. Arsenic was detected in ground water on site in excess of EPA’s Safe Drinking
Wate r Act Maximum Contaminant L evels (MCL s ). P olychlorinated b iphenyls (P CBs ) and arsenic were detected in on site soils in excess of EPA’s R egional S creening L evels (RSLs ). Cadmium was detected in the sediment of an unnamed tributary next to the site in exc ess of EPA’s sediment screening value.

 **Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment :**  Access to the site is unrestricted. The nearest residences are in a group of multiple housing units le ss than 200 feet from the site. Contact by trespasse rs with surface soil and sediment containing hazardous substances is possible. An estimated 2,545 persons within a 4

- mile radius use ground water which could be impacted by site related contaminants . Ecological risks posed by the site are from hazardous substances which have impaired the surface water quality and sediment in a tributary leading to a fishery downstream.

 **Response Activities (to date):** In 2009, EPA Region 4 conducted a limited removal action which included repairing a security fence surrounding the site to deter trespassers from entering the property.

 **Need for NPL Listing:**
The S tate of Tennessee referred th e site to EPA because of the uncontrolled hazardous waste at the site. Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated

, but are not viable at this time

. EPA received a l etter of support for placing this site on the NPL from the s tate

.

[The description of the site (release) is based on inform ation available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination.]

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs ca n be found on the Internet

at http://www.atsdr.c dc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1

- 888

- 42

- ATSDR or 1

- 888

- 422

- 8737.