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American Brass Inc.
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Image goes here.
- Additional Site Photos
- Site Video
Additional Resources
- Site Cleanup Terms - can be found in EPA's glossary
- EPA Guides to Cleanup Technologies
- Superfund Community Involvement (PDF) (17 pp, 130K, About PDF)
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: ALD981868466Location: Headland, Henry County, AL
Lat/Long: 31.325000, -085.404160
Congressional District: 02
NPL Status: Proposed: 1/19/99; Final: 05/10/99
Affected Media: Fish Tissue, Ground water, Sediment, Soil
Cleanup Status: Construction underway. Physical cleanup activities have started.
Site Reuse/Redevelopment Anticipated mixture of residential and commercial land use
Site Manager: Brian Farrier (farrier.brian@epa.gov )
Site Background
The American Brass, Inc. (ABI) site is a former secondary brass smelter/foundry facility located west of Headland in Henry County, Alabama. The site is located near the City of Dothan on State Highway 134. The site area is approximately 148 acres; 24 acres of which are occupied by the former foundry buildings (the developed portion of the site) in a predominantly rural agricultural area.
Industrial operations at the ABI site began in the 1960s. ABI operated at the site between 1978 and 1992, when industrial operations at the site ceased. The site is currently owned by the Industrial Development Board of Headland, who leased the property to ABI.
Threats and Contaminants
Potential future risks to public health and the environment exist at the site due to contamination documented in shallow ground water, on-site soils/sediments, Dunham Creek and Cedar Creek.
The primary contaminants found in the site soils and sediments are metals and PCB-1260. In general, the highest contaminant concentrations were found in the areas closest to the former ABI plant.
The primary metal detected in the ground water monitoring wells was boron. Nitrate and ammonia were also detected in the ground water. The residential drinking water wells adjacent to the eastern boundary of the site have not been impacted by the site and will continue to be monitored.Site Cleanup Plan
Under the cleanup plan for the ABI site contaminated soils and sediments will be excavated and disposed off-site while ground water beneath the site will undergo monitored natural attenuation (MNA). MNA is the use of natural processes to reduce concentrations of contaminants in ground water. The Record of Decision (ROD) detailing the cleanup plan was issued on August 24, 2006. The major components of the cleanup approach include:- Contamination removal and demolition of all of the ABI buildings, pavements and structures.
- Excavation of contaminated soils and sediments.
- Sampling of the excavated areas to ensure the cleanup goals have been met.
- Disposal of the excavated materials in an approved and appropriate off-site disposal facility.
- Add clean soil to areas where contaminated soil has been excavated and plant vegetative cover over these areas.
- Restore the wetlands impacted by contamination.
- Allow natural processes to reduce concentrations of contaminants in ground water to acceptable levels (i.e. through MNA). If this process is insufficient, alternative treatment strategies will be used.
- Engineering controls, such as physical barriers, implemented to control surface water runoff, dust, air quality, etc. and ensure that cleanup goals are met during and after the cleanup is implemented.
- Institutional controls, such as easements, implemented as necessary to restrict future ground water use.
Cleanup Progress
At the request of ADEM, EPA conducted an emergency removal at the ABI site in 1996-1997. During this removal, excavated lead-contaminated soils and heavy metal-laden furnace bricks, as well as heavy metal-laden process waste materials (ball mill residue) found inside the buildings, were consolidated into a liner-covered waste pile at the southeast corner of the site.
A second EPA removal action to remove the waste pile and dispose of the materials off-site was completed in March 1999.
The Remedial Design for the Site was finalized in 2007.
Site cleanup activities are being led primarily by EPA.
Enforcement Activities
Environmental compliance problems at the ABI site were first identified in the mid-1980s and continued until the closure of the facility in December 1992. During this period, numerous Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) violations were recorded by both ADEM and EPA Region 4. A detailed chronology of these violations and the subsequent actions undertaken by ADEM and EPA are provided in the 2006 ROD.
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the ABI site to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process. Outreach activities have included site fact sheets (found below), public notices, and information meetings on cleanup progress and activities.
Future Work
Funding for the Remedial Action (RA) will be sought in 2008. The RA could begin as early as 2009.
Site Administrative Documents
Site Repository
For more information or to view any site-related documents, please visit the site information repository at the following location. As new documents are generated, they will be placed in the information repository for public information.
Blanch R. Solomon Memorial LibraryTown Square
Headland, AL 36345
Administrative Record Index
- Pre-Remedial, Removal, Remedial Investigation, etc. (PDF) (7 pp, 393K, About PDF).
- Removal (PDF) (2 pp, 96K, About PDF).
- OU -1 (PDF) (1 pg, 36K, About PDF).
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.