From 1929 until 1971, Solutia, Inc. (Solutia) and its corporate predecessors owned and operated a plant that manufactured polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Anniston, Alabama, leading to widespread contamination throughout the town. The EPA entered into a Consent Decree with Solutia and Pharmacia Corporation for the Anniston PCB site, on August 4, 2003. While collecting residential soil samples in 1999 and 2000, the EPA became aware of elevated concentrations of lead that were present in soil on some residential properties. While the exact source of the lead contamination was unknown, it was suspected to have originated from several active and inactive foundries located in and around Anniston. Anniston was established as a "company town" for Woodstock Iron Co. in 1872, and several other forges and foundries operated in the area. In the past, local residents were allowed to take fill material from these foundries for use on their properties.
In 2001, the EPA initiated a time critical removal action at the Anniston Lead site to address contaminated properties using a cleanup standard of 400 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) for residential soils. From 2001 through May 2005, EPA collected soil samples from approximately 1,567 properties. Lead concentrations exceeding the cleanup standard of 400 mg/kg were identified at more than 300 properties. Removal activities were conducted at approximately 132 properties beginning in April 2002.
In July 2005, the EPA entered into an Administrative Agreement and Order on Consent (AOC) for Removal Action with the potentially responsible parties group for the Anniston Lead site. The PRP group formed a single, unified legal entity to manage the site, known as the Foothills Community Partnership (FCP), which was formed in January 2005. Removal activities performed by FCP under the AOC included collecting samples from a total of 4,562 properties. Lead concentrations exceeding the cleanup standard of 400 mg/kg were identified at approximately 796 properties. FCP conducted removal activities at a total of 597 properties.
In October 2009, the EPA initiated additional removal activities associated with contaminated properties that were located outside of zones established under the AOC. From October 2009 through March 2010, the EPA completed removal and restoration activities at 15 properties.
In October 2011, FCP demobilized from the Site after entering into a negotiated buyout agreement with the EPA whereby, for a monetary payment, EPA absolved Foothills from future liability for the remaining 34 properties that required remediation. Foothills was unable to obtain access for removal from these property owners, and leaving the partnership open in perpetuity was impractical.
EPA resumed removal activities in August 2017 to remediate several of the properties where the owners finally responded and provided access to remediate. Currently, 11 of the properties covered under the buyout agreement remain to be remediated.
