EPA v. ANNISTON PCB SITE (OU1/OU2) RD/RA (SOLUTIA AND PHARMACIA)

Case summary

3/26/2021 - CONSENT DECREE: REMEDIAL DESIGN/REMEDIAL ACTION - The Anniston PCB site is located in and around Anniston and parts of Calhoun and Talledega County about 50 miles east of Birmingham, Alabama. The Anniston site includes commercial, industrial and residential properties and downstream waterways and floodplains. Site investigations show that the former Monsanto Corporation's PCB manufacturing plant released the vast majority of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the area. The plant produced PCBs from 1929 until 1971. During the time Monsanto operated the plant, hazardous and non?hazardous wastes were disposed in several areas, including the West End and South Landfills that are adjacent to the plant and a wastewater stream containing PCBs that flowed into Snow Creek and Choccolocco Creek. The Record of Decision for Operable Unit 1 (OU-1, residential) and Operable Unit 2 (OU-2, nonresidential) work that is the subject of this Consent Decree presents the EPA?s selected cleanup alternatives, which reduce risk to human health and the environment to acceptable levels by: 1. Completing the residential property cleanup and managing subsurface contamination as needed; 2. Completing the cleanup of low activity areas on church, school, and park properties and managing subsurface contamination as needed; 3. Excavating soils that were not included in previous interim measures; 4. Removing dredged soil piles along the bank of Snow Creek; 5. Excavating soils that create risk in other non-residential, commercial/industrial areas; 6. Excavating soils that are impacting groundwater near the 11th street ditch and Snow Creek, then capping the areas and extracting the contaminated groundwater; and 7. Excavation of contaminated sediments in Snow Creek and stabilization of the creek banks. The selected remedies include off-site disposal of soils and sediments, as well as discharge of treated groundwater into Snow Creek. These remedies will cost approximately $ 36.6 million and take several years to complete.

Defendants (2)

• PHARMACIA INC.Named in complaintNamed in settlement
• SOLULIA INCNamed in complaintNamed in settlement

Facilities (1)

• SOLUTIA INC ANNISTON PLANT

  702 CLYDESDALE AVE, ANNISTON, AL, 36201

  Registry ID: 110000368806

Statutes cited

• CERCLA 107A — Cost Recovery
• CERCLA 106A — Imminent & Substantial Endangerment Order

Enforcement conclusions (2)

• ANNISTON PCB SITE (OU1/OU2) RD/RA (SOLUTIA AND PHARMACIA)entered 2021-03-26

  Primary law: CERCLA

• ANNISTON PCB SITE (OU1/OU2) RD/RA (SOLUTIA AND PHARMACIA)entered 2021-03-29

  Primary law: CERCLA

Timeline (6 milestones)

• 2018-03-16PRN Sent
• 2020-08-31Referred To Dept Of Justice
• 2020-09-18Enforcement Action Data Entered
• 2020-12-02Complaint Filed With Court
• 2021-03-29Final Order Entered
• 2021-03-29Final Order Lodged