Velsicol Chemical Corp. (Hardeman County)

Overview

Velsicol Chemical Corporation ran a landfill near Toone, Tennessee from 1964 to 1973. Waste buried there contaminated groundwater, soil, surface water, and air. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1983 after finding contaminated private wells in 1979. The City of Toone connected affected homes and businesses to the public water supply to stop people from drinking the contaminated groundwater. As of 2009, no residents or businesses use site-impacted groundwater for drinking.

EPA identified 47 contaminants at the site. Pesticides found in soil include aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, and DDT compounds. Groundwater carries chemicals like carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, tetrachloroethene, chlorobenzene, and endrin. Air samples show acetone, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, dichloromethane, and tetrachloroethene. EPA selected these contaminants for cleanup because they pose unacceptable risks to human health or the environment.

Cleanup is split into two main operable units. Operable Unit 1 targets groundwater using pump-and-treat systems, carbon adsorption, air stripping, and hydraulic controls. The initial 1991 remedy was found to be insufficient because the treatment system was not containing the groundwater plume and waste was leaching into nearby surface water. EPA suspended groundwater treatment and began evaluating alternatives. Operable Unit 2 covers the landfill source area. An engineered cap with drainage improvements was finished in May 2016, and soil vapor extraction work began in March 2017, with additional work starting again in May 2023. Between 2005 and 2007, EPA sampled indoor air for vapor intrusion risks and installed mitigation systems in two homes. An air sampling program started in 2008 found that vapor intrusion does not threaten residents or workers, and air monitoring continues. Institutional controls restrict land use and prohibit well drilling on most affected properties. Since 2002, the site's responsible party has maintained a Custodial Trust under EPA and state oversight to fund ongoing work.

As of the most recent five-year review, completed June 21, 2021, human exposure is under control. However, groundwater migration is not yet stabilized, and the site has not achieved sitewide ready-for-anticipated-reuse status. The next five-year review is estimated between June and August 2026.

Community members can follow site progress through public notices and public meetings that EPA holds throughout the cleanup process. Documents related to the site are available at the Hardeman County Public Library at 213 North Washington Street, Bolivar, Tennessee. Residents with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager directly using the information below.