Tennessee Clean
Tennessee Clean (TN Clean) is a program spearheaded by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC) Division of Remediation (DoR). In both the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 budgets, Governor Bill Lee has earmarked funding to review, prioritize, and remediate contaminated sites across the State of Tennessee that are listed on the State’s GASB 49 report, which is updated annually and for which the State is obligated to act.
The Government Accounting Standard Board (GASB) 49 list includes National Priority List (NPL) and non-NPL sites where the state has an obligation to fund investigation and cleanup of existing pollution which could be impacting human health, the environment, and the community’s economic growth potential. Currently unsuitable for redevelopment, many of these sites have languished for years.
With growing populations and increased demand for land activities, Tennessee must consider remediation and redevelopment of land as part of a sustainable path forward. Investment through TN Clean will improve Tennessee’s environment, support economic growth, and promote community vitality and sustainability by unlocking acres for redevelopment and opportunity that had been previously considered unusable.
Remediation of the GASB 49 non-NPL sites will support TDEC’s vision (i.e., working together, we will protect our environment and conserve critical natural resources for future generations while we make Tennessee an even better place to live, work, and play); TDEC’s mission (i.e. enhance the quality of life for citizens of Tennessee and to be trustees of our natural environment by: protecting and improving the quality of Tennessee’s air, land, and water through a responsible regulatory system; protecting and promoting human health and safety); and Goal 1 of TDEC’s Four-year Strategic Plan (i.e., positively impact the environment and quality of life of Tennessee communities).
Explore the tabs below to see each division's TN Clean sites.
Current TN Clean Sites
* Site has been selected by the Site Prioritization and Selection Committee for current sampling/remediation activities.
Division of Remediation
This property was an audio speaker assembly plant for the company Electro-Voice, previously owned by Mark IV Industries. The assembly plant was in operation from the mid 1960s until 2001. This former industrial site has been monitored since 2001 for chlorinated solvent chemicals that leaked from an underground storage tank. Groundwater, soil, and air on this property have been sampled for these cleaning chemicals to ensure that the concentrations are low enough to be safe for workers on the site now and in the future. Groundwater contamination is currently present in three monitoring wells at the property.
Division of Solid Waste Management
Division of Radiological Health
Division of Remediation
Division of Solid Waste Management
Division of Remediation
A drycleaner operated at the site from 1945-1977. In 1992, the site’s soil and groundwater were found to be contaminated with several chlorinated chemical that had leaked from an underground storage tank. The site has been monitored and tested since 1997 to define the contaminated area. Contamination was found to have spread beyond the site boundaries into neighboring properties. Several Injections of maple syrup, soybean oil, and simple green emulsion into injection wells in the ground began in 2002 to encourage biological activity at the site. This continued for about a year. A source area approximately 22 feet by 22 feet and about 12 feet deep was discovered where the building used to sit. Later in 2004, about 215 cubic feet of contaminated soil was removed. Sodium lactate was added to the bottom of the pit to sustain biological activity; the pit was then refilled with clean gravel and soil. Since 2004, about every 6 months sodium lactate is added to the onsite injection wells. The onsite wells are sampled to evaluate the effectiveness of the injections. Although concentrations in groundwater have decreased due to the various injection activities, significant contamination remains.
The Chromium Mining and Smelting Corporation (Chromasco) smelted metals in Memphis from the early 1950s until 1984. This 92-acre site has been monitored since the 1980s for metals, notably chromium and arsenic, in groundwater, soil, sediment, and surface waters. Contaminated sediment, soil, and drums containing waste were excavated and removed from the site in 2000, but recent sampling indicated that there is still some remaining contamination. The site is currently being evaluated to assess the protectiveness of prior site remedial activities and institutional controls.
Fiberfine is the site of an inactive rock wool manufacturing plant. Rock wool is made by melting rock and spinning it into fibers, which also produces slag wool as waste. The slag, which contains lead and other heavy metals, was disposed of in a pile on site along with contaminated soil and sediment. When the factory was demolished in 1994, some of the slag was pushed into a nearby wetland area, causing contamination. The EPA excavated 5,000 cubic yards of waste slag and 16,000 yards of contaminated soil and disposed of them in a properly capped pile. Further sampling of site soils and groundwater is required to verify proper/current characterization of site impacts and if contaminant migration has occurred.