Memphis Defense Depot is a 632-acre former military warehousing and distribution facility in south-central Memphis, Tennessee. It operated from 1942 until closing in September 1997. The site sits in a mixed residential, commercial, and industrial area. The surrounding community is largely African-American and economically disadvantaged. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1992.
Operations at the Depot left behind soil and groundwater contaminated by oil, grease, paint thinners, methyl bromide, pesticides, cleaning fluids, and leaking mustard bombs disposed of at Dunn Field in 1946. Groundwater contains chlorinated solvents such as tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene, along with metals including arsenic, lead, chromium, and nickel. Soil contains arsenic, lead, antimony, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), and dieldrin. Surface water, sediment, and groundwater at Dunn Field are also affected. EPA has identified 44 contaminants of concern across four operable units. A fifth operable unit addresses PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) sitewide, with a remedial investigation that began July 18, 2025.
A Federal Facilities Agreement signed in 1995 between EPA, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), and the Department of Defense set out the cleanup framework. The Defense Logistics Agency led early cleanup efforts. The Department of Defense took over responsibility in December 2010, with EPA and TDEC providing oversight. Cleanup methods across the site include groundwater extraction and treatment, soil vapor extraction, air sparging, thermal treatment, excavation, bioremediation, and monitored natural attenuation. Construction of the cleanup remedy was completed in 2010. The sources give two dates for this: the cleanup section states December 2010, while the cleanup progress section states May 10, 2010. The site achieved Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use status on that same date in 2010. Land-use controls prevent exposure to remaining contamination, and no one on or off the site is currently exposed to contaminated groundwater. However, contaminated groundwater continues to move, so EPA monitors it to track whether it stays within the original contamination area. The most recent five-year review was completed January 24, 2023. An additional remedial action at Dunn Field is estimated between December 2026 and January 2028.
Since closure, more than four million square feet of the Main Installation, representing 94 percent of the site, have been returned to productive use. Redevelopment includes transitional veterans' housing, a golf course, a police precinct, and the Memphis Depot Business Park, generating roughly 980 jobs. The Depot Redevelopment Corporation, established by the City of Memphis and Shelby County, oversees reuse planning.
Community members can stay involved through public notices and public meetings held by EPA throughout the cleanup process. Two public information repositories serve the area: one at the Former Memphis Depot Information Repository operated by TDEC in Bartlett, and one at the Memphis Depot Business Park DLA Community Outreach Room in Memphis. The public can also call the site community involvement line at 901-774-3683.
