Carrier Air Conditioning Co.

Overview

The Carrier Air Conditioning Co. site sits on 135 acres in Collierville, Tennessee. Carrier has operated a heating and air conditioning manufacturing plant there since the 1960s. The plant used trichloroethylene, or TCE, to degrease metal parts until about 1986. Two solvent spills in 1979 and 1985, along with a wastewater lagoon that ran from 1972 to 1979, released TCE and zinc into the soil and groundwater. Those releases led the EPA to add the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1989 or 1990, with sources giving slightly different years for that listing.

Thirteen contaminants of concern have been identified at the site. They include chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, 1,1-dichloroethene, 1,2-dichloroethene, 1,2-dichloroethane, and vinyl chloride, as well as lead and zinc. Contamination has been found in groundwater, soil, and sludge.

Carrier Corporation has led the cleanup under EPA and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation oversight. A soil vapor extraction system installed in 1989 was expanded in 1994 and 1995. A groundwater treatment system at Water Plant 2, installed in 1990, continues to remove TCE from groundwater. Source contamination has been excavated to stop TCE from moving into the shallow aquifer, and the soil treatment area is fenced. Additional monitoring wells were added in 2016. Construction of the cleanup remedy was completed in October 1995. Remedial action work for Operable Unit 1 is estimated to continue through early 2028, and the site is estimated to be ready for anticipated reuse between September and November 2027.

EPA has determined that human exposure is currently under control. There are no unacceptable exposure pathways for people in the area. Vapor intrusion does not threaten nearby residents or workers, and contamination does not affect private wells. Shelby County prohibits new drinking water wells within a half-mile of the site unless the well owner proves the well will not increase contaminant migration. Land use controls restrict the site to industrial use only. The manufacturing plant remains active and as of December 2024 employed 1,400 people.

Community members can stay involved through public notices, public meetings, and interviews that EPA holds as part of its outreach efforts. Site records are available for public review at the Lucius E. and Elsie C. Burch, Jr. Library in Collierville. Two EPA contacts are available to answer questions directly.