Puckett Smelter is a 3 acre residential property in a rural area that was used by the owner for smelting operations. The topography is mainly flat but slopes slightly towards an unnamed tributary to the north of the property. The owner at the time operated the smelting process from 1990 to 1995. In March of 1999, a RCRA inspection was conducted and based on the results the owner of the property was issued a Notice of Violation. The NOV was for the owner not identifying if the waste piles were hazardous and not obtaining a permit for storing hazardous waste. In May 2000, Alabama Department of Environmental Management’s (ADEM) hazardous waste program referred the Site to ADEM’s hazardous substance program for assessment.
The operation left four main ash piles. In September 2004, ADEM was on Site to collect samples from the ash piles. The results showed elevated levels of lead and arsenic and a presence of PCBs. The piles have no environmental controls associated with them. ADEM’s Environmental Assessment Section recommended removal of the piles in order to mitigate additional releases to the environment and direct contact exposure.
On April 9, 2007 ADEM requested Puckett Smelter be reviewed for eligibility for expenditure of federal funds by the Environmental Protections Agency’s Emergency Response and Removal Branch (ERRB) to help mitigate potential environmental impacts from the release of unsecured materials at the
