OSWER/OSRTI Washington, DC 20460


## N ATIONAL 

## P RIORITIES 

## L IST 

## (NPL)
***Proposed Site*** March 2010 

### SMOKEY MOUNTAIN SMELTERS Knox Co unty, Tennessee

 Site Location: The Site is located at 1455 Maryville Pike, south of the city of Knoxville, Tennessee.

 Site History: From 1922 to 1979 the property was occupied by several different 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 me lting of scrap aluminum and aluminum dross (a waste byproduct of primary and secondary aluminum smelting) and cas ting the molten aluminum ingots. Currently, the site is abandoned and consists of a partially barren and partially wooded 29 acre property, which contains the remains 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 uncontrolled 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 Water Act Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL). Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and arsenic were detected in onsite soils in excess of EPA’s regional screening levels (RSLs). Cadmium was detected in the sediment of an unnamed tributary next to the site in excess 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 less than 200 feet to the east of the site. Contact by trespassers with surface soil and sediment containing hazardous substances is possible. 2,545 persons within the four-mile radius of karst terrain are estimated to 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 State of Tennessee referred the 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 letter of support for placing this site on the NPL from the state.

[The description of the site (release) is based on information av ailable at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The d escription 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 regardi ng the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet

at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.