United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region IV
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The Owens Plating Company Site which is located in Rainbow City, Etowah County, Alabama was a metal plating facility that operated three zinc-on-carbon-steel processes.  The Site is a former electroplating facility that ceased operations in early 2003 and shut down the premises in 2004.

The Site consists of a large combined building that is approximately 56,500 square feet in size.  The site is located at 1440 Sutton Bridge Road in Rainbow City, Etowah County, Alabama.  The site sits in a mixed-use community, with industry and residences nearby.  The 56,500 square foot facility’s wall structure is compromised and allows for easy access into the facility.  The facility has an area containing approximately 117 vats and 388 55-gallon drums along with approximately 1,000 small containers located in the laboratory.  These containers range in size from 100 milliliters to 5 gallons.  Many of the drums and small containers are unlabeled and the contents of the 177 plating line and water treatment vats have not been identified.  The plating vats all have material present, either in liquid or solid/sludge form.  The facility has rapidly deteriorated due to the corrosive environment produced by the abandoned plating lines.

EPA mobilized to the site along with CMC, TTEMI and the U.S. Coast Guard, Gulf Strike Team on 5/7/2007 and are continuing operations at the facility.

Site activities completed during this reporting period included:

Disseminating fact sheets to residential and commercial properties adjacent to the site.

Removal of laboratory chemicals and staging for sampling and disposal.

Collection of all 55 gallon drums from accessible areas within building.

Removal of mercury vapor lights and florescent bulbs in preparation for demolition activities in Zone H.

Sampling of staged 55 gallon drums for hazcanning.

Cleaning and destroying empty metal and poly drums.

Continue sampling of drums in Zone A and demolition of building in Zones H, G and F which comprises a drum storage area and the rear plating lines.

Continue to interface with Rainbow City local officials and adjacent neighborhoods.  

Continue demolition of building to allow safe and efficient access to three plating lines and orphan drums.

There are unsecured, abandoned containers, drums and vats, containing hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants on the Site.  The integrity of these containers are questionable and pose a threat of release.  

Up to the present removal activities, most of the containers and electroplating lines/vats were and some continue to be exposed to the weather and continue to deteriorate.   The facility’s metal siding is corroded and the exterior walls and roofing timbers are disintegrating.