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Redwing Carriers, Inc. (Saraland)
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
Site Photo 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: ALD980844385Location: Saraland, Mobile County, AL
Lat/Long: 30.808330, -088.073060
Congressional District: 01
NPL Status: Proposed: 06/24/88; Final: 02/21/90
Affected Media: Ground water, Sediment, Soil
Cleanup Status: Site cleanup activities are underway
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: None
Site Manager: Michael Arnett (arnett.michael@epa.gov)
Site Background
The Redwing Carriers, Incorporated site is 5.1 acres in size and is located in the City of Saraland, Mobile County, Alabama. From 1961 to 1971, Redwing Carriers, Inc., a trucking company, owned and operated the site as a terminal for cleaning, repairing, and parking its fleet of trucks. The firm transported a variety of substances, including asphalt, diesel fuel, chemicals and pesticides from local plants. During cleaning, untreated hazardous substances were released to the ground creating a tar-like sludge and contaminating site soils. The tar-like sludge is composed predominately of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds together with pesticides, herbicides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
In 1973, Saraland Apartments Ltd. purchased the site and built a U.S. Housing and Urban Development subsidized apartment complex on the site. During construction, the sludge and contaminated soils were covered over with up to five feet of clean soil.
In 1984, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) investigated apartment residents' complaints about the tar-like sludge seeping to the surface at numerous locations at the site.Threats and Contaminants
Site soils and ground water are contaminated with PAH, pesticides and VOCs.
Site Cleanup Plan
The Record of Decision (ROD) for the site was issued in 1992. Major cleanup elements for the site included:
- Excavation of sludge, sediments, and contaminated soils.
- Off-site treatment/disposal of contaminated soil, sediment, and sludge.
- Regrading and backfilling of excavations using clean fill material.
- On-site treatment of contaminated ground water in the upper aquifer. Treated ground water will be discharged to a water treatment plant, or if unavailable, to a nearby surface water body.
In 1999, EPA issued a plan to amend the 1992 ROD based on data collected during a 1996-1997 Removal Action at the site. The amended ROD was signed in June 2000 and included:
- Demolition, removal, and off-site disposal of all buildings, foundations, concrete walkways, asphalt driveways, and parking areas.
- Excavation, off-site treatment, and disposal of the remaining source material (sludge, sediments, and contaminated soils).
- Delay the implementation of the 1992 ROD requirement for on-site extraction and treatment of contaminated ground water. The implementation of ground water extraction and treatment and monitoring will be contingent upon baseline ground water sampling and annual evaluation of quarterly ground water monitoring data.
Cleanup Progress
Between 1985 and 1994, Redwing conducted periodic removal of surface seeps, at which point the company stopped cleanup activities at the site.
Beginning in 1996, EPA undertook a removal action at the site by temporarily relocating 57 families living in the complex. EPA excavated and disposed of off-site approximately 20,724 tons of sludge, contaminated soil, and debris. Air monitoring conducted in the Saraland Apartments after the removal action detected unacceptable levels of benzene and the pesticide Aldrin in some of the Saraland Apartments. Based on this monitoring, EPA determined that the residents could not live in the Saraland Apartments. EPA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) relocated the residents to alternative permanent housing.
In July 1997, EPA collected soil, sediment, and water samples from 23 properties adjacent to the Redwing Carriers site to address community concerns about possible releases from the site. Based on an evaluation of these samples, EPA determined that there is no unacceptable health risk or hazard in the neighborhood adjacent to the Redwing site.
In 2004, the Saraland apartment buildings, foundations, concrete walkways, asphalt driveways, and parking areas were removed. This allowed unrestricted access to the site so that additional site characterization could be done to more fully inform cleanup plans for the site.
Cleanup activities detailed in the Amended ROD began in 2007 and were completed in December 2008.
Site cleanup activities have been undertaken by both EPA and potentially responsible parties with oversight by EPA.Enforcement Activities
In 1985, EPA and Redwing entered into an Administrative Order on Consent which
required Redwing to conduct a limited sludge and contaminated soil removal (among other activities).
Community Involvement
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at the Redwing Carriers 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 public notices, fact sheets, interviews, and public meetings on cleanup activities and updates.
Future Work
The primary remaining cleanup activity at the site is the installation and monitoring of three off-site shallow ground water monitoring wells.
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.
Saraland Public Library
111 Saraland Loop
Saraland, Alabama 36571
Administrative Record Index
- OU-1 (PDF) (35 pp, 1.4MB, About PDF)
- Amended ROD (PDF) (3 pp, 150K, About PDF)
- Preliminary Closeout Report (11 pp, 1MB, About PDF)
For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.