The Murray-Ohio Dump covers 27.25 acres in Lawrence County, Tennessee. Two landfills operated there from 1963 to 1982. One buried paint and electroplating sludge from metal product manufacturing, and the city ran a sanitary landfill on the rest of the property. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List in September 1983.
Chromium and nickel are the contaminants of concern. Both metals were found in soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater. Chromium appears in several forms, including chromium(VI), which turned up in soil, surface water, and groundwater. Nickel was detected in all four media types. Landfill operations caused all of this contamination.
Cleanup began in 1995 when the responsible party installed protective covers over the landfill areas. EPA issued a formal cleanup plan in 1994 covering cap systems, fencing, institutional controls to prohibit groundwater use and residential development, and groundwater monitoring. EPA took over site operations in 2005. In 2009, EPA expanded the remedy to address off-site contamination in a tributary of Shoal Creek. That expanded plan added constructed wetlands for stream restoration, dredging of contaminated sediment, and use of naturally occurring bacteria to change the oxidation state of metals in the sediment. Physical cleanup construction finished in September 1998, and the site reached sitewide ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in January 2022.
EPA completed its fifth Five-Year Review in September 2021 and found the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment in the short term. For long-term protection, operation and maintenance activities and institutional controls must continue. The next Five-Year Review is scheduled for 2026. Nearby residents and businesses use the public water supply, which has not been affected by site contamination. Institutional controls on the site and adjacent property prohibit well drilling and drinking water use from groundwater. The site remains on the National Priorities List and has not been deleted.
Community members can stay involved through EPA's community involvement activities, which include public notices, public meetings, and interviews about cleanup progress. The EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator and Remedial Project Manager are available to answer questions.
