2004 Demonstration Project
Arlington Blending & Packaging:
Arlington, Tennessee
THE SITE: The 2.3-acre Arlington Blending & Packaging site in
the town of Arlington, Tennessee was once home to a pesticide
formulation and packaging facility. During its seven-year operation,
pesticide spills and leaks at the facility gradually led to soil, sediment,
and ground water contamination. In 1996, cleanup activities included
excavation, stockpiling, treatment, and backfilling of over 41,000 tons
of contaminated soil over most of the site; today the site is revegetated
and in use as a neighborhood park. Use of ground water is prohibited
by Shelby County well rules and regulations; however, monitoring
continues to ensure that any lingering contaminants in the ground
water do not pose a threat to human health and the environment.
THE OPPORTUNITY: Though the site was cleaned up, the Arlington
Blending & Packaging site remained vacant for many years after
cleanup activities concluded. For years, neighbors and passersby were
barred entrance to the site—the open space was idle in an area where a
neighborhood park would have been welcomed and appreciated.
THE BARRIER: As part of the Return to Use Initiative, EPA worked with
local stakeholders to determine what was preventing the site from
returning to use. Together, they concluded that the stigma associated
with the property as a Superfund site was the site's primary barrier to
reuse.
THE SOLUTION: In order to combat the negative associations with
the site's Superfund history, EPA worked with local stakeholders to
create documents that would inform the Arlington community of the
site's status. In July 2004, EPA issued a Comfort Letter to the Town of
Arlington, detailing the liability statutes that would protect the Town's
interests when it took ownership of the property because of unpaid
back taxes. To further reassure Arlington residents of the site's safety,
EPA declared the site ready for recreational use in a Ready for Reuse
(RfR) Determination. This RfR Determination, the first in Region 4, was
signed on October 16,2004.
THE PARK: EPA Region 4 agreed to work with the Town of Arlington
as town officials developed remedy-friendly schematics for a
Barriers:
Superfund site stigma; liability
concerns
Solution:
EPA issued a comfort letter to
address liability issues and an RfR
Determination to address stigma
Before:
Cleaned up pesticide facility; 2.3-
acre vacant grass field
After:
Neighborhood park that is
accessible to all Arlington
residents
urmea btates
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiativ
updated August 2009
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neighborhood park at the 2.3-acre site. This park, accessible to all residents of the surrounding residential
communities, includes a playground,field space, walking and biking trails, exercise stations, and a half-court
basketball court. EPA participation in the park planning process ensured that construction activities to install
playground equipment and other features did not affect the site's remedy in any way. On February 25,2005,
Helena Chemical Company donated an adjacent 0.6-acre parcel to the Town of Arlington, increasing the size
of the park by 30 percent. With a clear title to the land, the Town of Arlington secured a $300,000 community
development block grant to fund construction of the park at the site. In October 2006,the collaborative efforts
of EPA and the Arlington community came to fruition and the new Mary Alice Park was officially opened to the
public with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
FOR MORE INFORMATION,CONTACT: Bill Denman,Region 4 Superfund Redevelopment Coordinator at (404)
562-8939 or den i.bill@epa.gov.
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A ground water monitoring well at the new Mary Alice Park
urmea btates
Environmental Protection
Agency
Superfund Redevelopment Initiativ
updated August 2009
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