Amnicola Dump

Overview

The Amnicola Dump is an 18-acre former disposal site in Chattanooga, Tennessee, bordered by the Tennessee River to the west and forested land to the north. It was added to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983 after waste disposal operations between 1970 and 1973 left contaminated soil, groundwater, and debris on the property. Creosote-contaminated railroad ties that were handled and burned there added to the problem. Commercial properties, including a restaurant, a recycling business, and warehouses, surround the site to the east and south.

EPA found 26 contaminants of concern at the site. Soil contamination includes metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury, as well as pesticides including chlordane, dieldrin, heptachlor, lindane, and DDT. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and benzo compounds were also found in soil and debris. Groundwater contamination includes chromium, chloroform, bromodichloromethane, bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, azepan-2-one, and diethyl ether. Chromium levels in one monitoring well initially exceeded drinking water standards, but no site-related contaminants were detected in the city's water supply, and follow-up monitoring confirmed that levels met federal drinking water standards.

EPA issued a cleanup plan in 1989 calling for excavation and on-site treatment of contaminated soil and debris. That plan was updated in 1993 to require off-site disposal of all contaminated materials instead. The responsible parties completed all cleanup work by 1993, digging up contaminated soil and debris and filling excavated areas with stone. Institutional controls are in place prohibiting disturbance of creosoted railroad ties, construction of drinking water wells at the site, and any activity that may disturb the soil cover. EPA has determined that human exposure is currently under control across the entire site, with no unacceptable exposure pathways identified.

EPA removed the site from the NPL in 1996, and a final Five-Year Review in 1997 confirmed that the cleanup continues to protect people and the environment. No further Five-Year Reviews are planned. Today, two businesses operate on the site, employing 48 people and generating roughly $43.3 million in annual sales revenue.

For questions about the site, community members can contact the EPA's Remedial Project Manager. This site profile remains available as a historical record.