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Join green|spaces for our February Lunch & Learn! Robenson Joseph, Remedial Project Manager with the EPA, will speak about the ongoing cleanup process of superfund sites around Chattanooga.

The Superfund Site consists of residential and child high impact properties (common areas such as playgrounds, parks, daycare centers, etc.), where lead-bearing material from past foundry operations was used as fill and top soil. The Site includes eight residential neighborhoods: Alton Park, Cowart Place, East Lake, Highland Park, Jefferson Heights, Oak Grove, Richmond, and Southside Gardens.

In 2016, EPA, in cooperation with TDEC and the Tennessee Department of Health (TDOH), began the Site Inspection (SI) to determine whether lead-contaminated foundry-related waste materials were isolated to the area of previous soil removals along Read Avenue and Mitchell Avenue or additional areas may be impacted. After obtaining permission from property owners, EPA collected soil samples in several neighborhoods near the former foundries. The collected soil samples were analyzed for lead, arsenic and other metals. The SI determined that elevated levels of lead in soil was not limited to the Read and Mitchell Avenue area. In August 2017, EPA began the Remedial Investigation (RI) and collected soil samples from 33 residential properties in Oak Grove, Highland Park, and East Lake. EPA proposed the Site to the National Priorities List (NPL) on January 18, 2018. On September 13, 2018, the Site was added to the NPL. In May 2018, EPA collected soil samples from an additional 28 properties in Alton Park, Cowart Place, Jefferson Heights, and Southside Gardens. Between May 2011 and May 2018, soil samples were collect from nearly 300 properties at the Site. To date, 104 properties have been cleaned-up. Sampling activities to identify properties where cleanup will be required are ongoing.