Smokey Mountain Smelters

⚠ Superfund · Construction complete

The final walk-through/Site inspection was completed in August 2023. The details about the remedy selected for the Site are on the Cleanup Activities tab. Cleanup and associated activities were conducted from February - September 2023.

Location

CityKnoxville
CountyKnox County
StateTennessee
Coordinates35.91944, -83.92583

Contaminants of concern

Contaminated media

Cleanup timeline

  1. Initial Assessment Completed — 02/09/1998
  2. Proposed to the National Priorities List — 03/04/2010
  3. Finalized on the National Priorities List — 09/29/2010
  4. Remedial Investigation Started — 12/16/2010
  5. Final Remedy Selected — 09/30/2015
  6. Final Remedial Action Started — 09/23/2022
  7. Construction Completed — 04/02/2024
  8. Deleted from National Priorities List — Not Yet Achieved
  9. Most Recent Five-Year Review — Not Yet Achieved
  10. Achieved Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Reuse — Estimated Jun - Aug 2027

EPA references

EPA-regulated facilities nearby

Understanding this Superfund site

Smokey Mountain Smelters is a federal Superfund site in Tennessee. The Superfund program, created by Congress in 1980, addresses sites where hazardous substances have been released or threaten release into the environment. EPA scores potential sites using the Hazard Ranking System; those that score high enough are placed on the National Priorities List.

Current status: Construction complete. Physical construction of the cleanup remedy is complete, though long-term monitoring and institutional controls typically continue for years or decades. Groundwater treatment systems, for example, often run long after surface cleanup finishes.

EPA has identified 10 contaminants of concern at this site, including aluminum, ammonia, arsenic. Contamination has been detected in groundwater.

If you live near this site and have health concerns, your state health department can provide site-specific guidance. EPA maintains a community involvement program for most NPL sites, and site documents — including the Record of Decision, five-year reviews, and public health assessments — are typically available through EPA's Superfund site profile.