News Releases from Region 04
EPA Announces Record of Decision for Cleanup of PCB Site in Anniston, AL
ATLANTA (December 15, 2017) – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of the Record of Decision for Operable Unit 1 (residential areas) and Operable Unit 2 (non-residential areas) at the Anniston polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) Site.
The purpose of the Record of Decision is to describe the Selected Remedy and EPA’s reasoning in making the selection of the cleanup action under the Agency’s Superfund Program.
Copies of the Record of Decision have been placed in the Administrative Record file at the Public Library of Anniston-Calhoun County. The EPA’s Selected Remedy is the same as the preferred remedy identified in the Proposed Plan released March 10, 2017.
The cleanup will include:
- Completing the removal of contaminated soil from residential properties;
- Removing contaminated soil around interim measures (protective actions taken before the EPA got involved);
- Removing dredge spoil piles (sediment previously removed and set on the banks of Snow Creek);
- Capping unapproved waste disposal areas;
- Removing contaminated soil in non-residential areas;
- Removing contaminated soil, capping and treating contaminated groundwater near the intersection of Snow Creek and the 11th Street ditch; and
- Removing contaminated sediment.
On-site disposal of low-level PCB-contaminated soil from residential and special use properties is allowed, while all other contaminated soil requires off-site disposal. Management of residual PCBs in subsurface soil and under structures will be required. These actions will be implemented over the next five years.
The City of Anniston is located in northeastern Alabama approximately 50 miles east of Birmingham. The Anniston PCB site is located in and around the city of Anniston, and surrounding Calhoun County. The Anniston site includes commercial, industrial and residential properties and downstream waterways and floodplains. Solutia’s Anniston plant (a subsidiary of Eastman Chemical Company (2012) is the main focus of this site. The plant includes approximately 70 acres of land and is located about one mile west of downtown Anniston.
EPA received over 200 comments from the public during the comment period for the Proposed Plan, from March 13, 2017 through May 12, 2017. Responses to the comments are provided in Part 3 of the Record of Decision.
Interested citizens are encouraged to review the Record of Decision, including the Responsiveness Summary, in the Administrative Record and Information Repository for the Site which is available at two locations of the Public Library of Anniston-Calhoun County:
Main Branch - 108 East 10th Street, Anniston, Alabama
Carver Branch - 722 West 14th Street, Anniston, Alabama
More information about the PCB Site in Anniston: https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.Cleanup&id=0400123#bkground
Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4
And on Twitter: @USEPASoutheast
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