EPA Finalizes Cleanup Plan for Anniston PCB Contamination
The EPA has finalized a cleanup plan for PCB contamination in Anniston, Alabama, focusing on Snow Creek, Choccolocco Creek and Logan Martin Lake.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Jan 02, 2025
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a Record of Decision (ROD) for Operable Unit 4 (OU4) of the Anniston PCB Site in Alabama. This decision outlines the agency’s strategy for addressing contamination in Snow Creek, its floodplain and sections of Choccolocco Creek leading to Logan Martin Lake on the Coosa River.
The Anniston PCB Site is divided into several operable units. OU4 encompasses areas downstream of Highway 78 and upstream of Logan Martin Lake. The EPA has previously issued decisions for other parts of the site, including an interim ROD for OU3 in 2011 and a final ROD for OU1/OU2 in 2017.
According to a recent release, the cleanup plan for OU4 includes evaluating contamination, assessing risks to human health and the environment, and identifying remedial actions to address hazardous substances. This action is necessary to mitigate threats posed by the release of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the environment, the EPA said.
The agency said the ROD’s response action intends to safeguard public health, welfare, or the environment from actual or potential releases of hazardous substances from OU4 of the Anniston PCB Site. PCBs, a group of toxic industrial chemicals, were historically used in various applications, including electrical equipment, and were banned in the United States in 1979.
For more information on the ROD, visit the Anniston Site webpage on the EPA website.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor for Environmental Protection.