The National Fireworks site covers 260 acres east of Memphis in Cordova, Tennessee. It manufactured munitions for the U.S. Army and Navy from 1941 to 1945. The land was redeveloped in 1986 as Cordova Industrial Park, which today hosts 65 businesses employing 975 people. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in March 2022, though initial assessment dates to 2000.
Contamination was found in soil and groundwater during inspections in 2001 and 2004. The main contaminants are chlorinated solvents, including trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, vinyl chloride, 1,4-dioxane, and related breakdown compounds. Additional contaminants of concern include metals and perchlorate. Contaminated groundwater is limited to the shallow aquifer, which is not used for drinking water. A vapor intrusion study completed in May 2021 found that indoor air contaminants were either not detected or not at levels that pose a risk to human health. EPA has determined that human exposure is currently under control.
The site is split into two operable units (OUs). OU2 covers the Security Signals area, where a company of the same name, an ordnance manufacturer, operates on the property. Between 2010 and 2011, removal actions excavated about 550 cubic yards of contaminated soil and removed an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 pin flares from a former burial pit. EPA selected phytoremediation and groundwater monitoring as the cleanup approach in a 2014 Record of Decision. Security Signals is carrying out that cleanup under a 2020 agreement with EPA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). Remedial action at OU2 began on April 11, 2024. OU1 covers the broader Cordova area. EPA began a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) for OU1 in 2022 and 2023 to map the contamination and develop cleanup options. That study is expected to finish between June and August 2027.
Community members can review site records at the Cordova Branch Library at 8457 Trinity Road in Cordova, Tennessee. Questions can go to the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.
