Groundwater Cleanup To Begin At Smalley-Piper Superfund Site In Collierville, TN

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced recently that construction of a groundwater treatment system will soon begin at the Smalley-Piper Superfund Site located at 719 Piper Street in Collierville, TN. Land clearing and other site preparation activities are currently underway. The treatment plant building will be constructed during December followed by the installation of the treatment equipment in January 2015. The treatment system is expected to be in operation by March 2015 and will initially operate for one year. EPA will then evaluate the system’s performance and determine the appropriate next steps.

The cleanup is being funded by the EPA. Black & Veatch, an EPA contractor, will manage the cleanup performed by a team of subcontractors. EPA will continue to coordinate site activities with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the Town of Collierville.

The groundwater treatment includes chemical reduction and precipitation followed by ion exchange to remove hexavalent chromium and total chromium. The system is designed to treat up to 100 gallons per minute, or about 52 million gallons of groundwater per year. The treated groundwater will be discharged below ground at the Site via an infiltration gallery. Residual sludge generated from the treatment process will be transported off-site for proper disposal. This groundwater treatment follows a soil cleanup that was successfully completed at the Site in 2012.

For more information about the Site, please visit the local information repository which has been established at the Lucius E. and Elsie C. Burch, Jr. Library, located at 501 Poplar View Parkway, Collierville, TN 38017 or contact Kerisa Coleman, Community Involvement Coordinator at 404.562.8831 or coleman.kerisa@epa.gov.