EPA Updates Superfund National Priorities List, Taking Action to Address Risks to Public Health and Build a Better America
National Fireworks Site in Cordova, Tennessee added to protect communities and chart next steps for cleanup
ATLANTA (March 17, 2022) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is adding 12 sites and proposing to add another five sites to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) where releases of contamination pose significant human health and environmental risks. Cleaning up contaminated sites is important for the health, safety, and revitalization of communities.
“No community deserves to have contaminated sites near where they live, work, play, and go to school. Nearly 2 out of 3 of the sites being proposed or added to the priorities list are in overburdened or underserved communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA is building a better America by taking action to clean up some of the nation’s most contaminated sites, protect communities’ health, and return contaminated land to safe and productive reuse for future generations.”
“I am pleased the EPA is moving forward with its proposal to add the National Fireworks site in Cordova to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL),” said Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09). “The site’s contaminants are dangerously close to Memphis’ Shaw Wellfield that provides drinking water to 79,000 people. The sooner this work begins, the sooner the contaminated groundwater and legacy pollution will be addressed. I am proud to have voted for the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which provided funding to make this inclusion possible.”
“Protecting overburdened communities from the toxic effects of Superfund sites is one of EPA’s highest priorities,” said EPA Region 4 Administrator Daniel Blackman. “By adding sites such as National Fireworks to the Superfund NPL, we are making good on our commitment to protect the people we serve and support local community revitalization by allowing land to be safely redeveloped for productive use.”
The National Fireworks Site is located east of Memphis in Cordova, Shelby County, Tennessee, at 9400-9600 Macon Road. The site is bounded on the north by Macon Road, on the east by Grays Creek, on the south by forested property, on the west by a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) easement, and on the northwest by railroad tracks. National Fireworks operated from 1942 to 1945. During operations, National Fireworks manufactured various munitions, including flares, grenades, and incendiary bombs, as well as 20-millimeter and 40-milimeter rounds for the United States Army and Navy. Operations included mixing chemicals and testing manufactured goods on-site. Also located on the property, is a burn pit which was used for disposal of building materials and chemicals. Other areas at the site were used for testing signal flares and disposal of various chemical wastes. In 1986, developers redeveloped the 260-acre site as Cordova Industrial Park. Site investigations found contamination in groundwater and soil. Contamination resulted from operations and waste handling practices at the Site. Potential contaminants of concern in soil and groundwater include perchlorate, metals, and chlorinated solvents. More information about the site can be found at https://www.epa.gov/superfund/national-fireworks.
Thousands of contaminated sites, from landfills, processing plants, to manufacturing facilities exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will accelerate EPA’s work to help communities clean up these contaminated sites with a $3.5 billion investment in the Superfund Remedial Program and reinstates the Superfund chemical excise taxes, making it one of the largest investments in American history to address legacy pollution. This historic investment strengthens EPA’s ability to tackle threats to human health and the environment, and EPA has already set action in motion to clear the backlog of the 49 contaminated sites which had been awaiting funding to start remedial action.With this Superfund NPL update, the Biden-Harris Administration is following through on its commitment to update the NPL twice a year, as opposed to once per year.
EPA is adding the following sites in the Southeast to the NPL:
- Westside Lead, Atlanta, Georgia
- Galey and Lord Plant, Society Hill, South Carolina
- National Fireworks, Cordova, Tennessee
EPA is proposing to add the following sites in the Southeast to the NPL:
- Hercules Inc, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Background
The NPL includes the nation’s most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination. The list serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. Only releases at sites included on the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term, permanent cleanup.
EPA proposes sites to the NPL based on a scientific determination of risks to people and the environment, consistent with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan. Before EPA adds a site to the NPL, a site must meet EPA’s requirements and be proposed for addition to the list in the Federal Register, subject to a 60-day public comment period. EPA will add the site to the NPL if it continues to meet the listing requirements after the public comment period closes and the agency has responded to any comments.
Superfund cleanups provide health and economic benefits to communities. The program is credited for significant reductions in both birth defects and blood-lead levels among children living near sites, and research has shown residential property values increase up to 24 percent within three miles of sites after cleanup.
Further, thanks to Superfund cleanups, communities are now using previously blighted properties for a wide range of purposes, including retail businesses, office space, public parks, residences, warehouses, and solar power generation. As of 2021, EPA has collected economic data on 650 Superfund sites. At these sites, there are 10,230 businesses operating on these sites, 246,000 people employed, an estimated $18.6 billion in income earned by employees, and $65.8 billion in sales generated by businesses.
For information about Superfund and the NPL, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/superfund
For Federal Register notices and supporting documents for NPL and proposed sites, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/current-npl-updates-new-proposed-npl-sites-and-new-npl-sites