The Alabama Plating Company Superfund site is a former industrial site in
Vincent, Alabama
Vincent, originally known as Propel, is a city in Shelby, St. Clair, and Talladega counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,982. The community was first known as Propel, but later named Vincent in honor o ...
. The site covers 6 acres and was used by the Alabama Plating Company as an
electroplating
Electroplating, also known as electrochemical deposition or electrodeposition, is a process for producing a metal coating on a solid substrate through the reduction of cations of that metal by means of a direct electric current. The part to be ...
facility between 1956-1986. The facility caused contamination of the ground water with hazardous waste containing
heavy metals. After assessment by the
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
(EPA) it was added to the
National Priorities List
The National Priorities List (NPL) is the priority list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial investigation and remedial action (cleanup) financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protec ...
in September 2012 for remedial action. The site cleanup is directed by the federal
Superfund
Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the United States Environmental Pro ...
program.
History
In 1970, the site was identified as a new source of pollution by the Alabama Water Improvement Commission, and one of eleven industries notified to present plans for "abatement of their pollution of state waters". By 1980, the company had gained a permit to discharge treated water into the Spring Creek. In 1986, the company was ordered by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to clean up a section of the Spring Creek where contaminated sediment had built up, following a treatment process failure. The company received further ADEM orders in 1990 and 1991 in relation to delays in cleaning up contaminated groundwater and closing containment ponds at the site.
Lawsuit
In June 1991, the Alabama Plating Company demanded that the costs for cleanup at the site be covered under its insurance's "comprehensive general liability" policy with the United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, as well as its "excess liability" policies with Safety National Casualty Corporation and Ranger Insurance Company. All three companies refused, and were then sued by the Alabama Plating Company, who alleged breach of contract, fraudulent misrepresentation, bad faith, and other charges related to wrongful denial of coverage. The company also sued Hilb, Rogal and Hamilton Company of Birmingham, Inc, the insurance agency through which they had obtained coverage, for fraudulent misrepresentation and negligence.
The Alabama Plating Company had argued that the policy, which covered pollution cleanup costs only in cases in which the pollution was "sudden and accidental" which the company claimed its incidents had fulfilled.
Contamination
The contamination at the site originates from a liquid byproduct, created from the electroplating process. This byproduct contained
cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, silvery-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Like zinc, it demonstrates oxidation state +2 in most of ...
,
chromium
Chromium is a chemical element with the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in group 6. It is a steely-grey, lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal.
Chromium metal is valued for its high corrosion resistance and hardne ...
,
cyanide
Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms.
In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...
, and
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
. A mechanical treatment system, in which the heavy metals would be settled out in containment ponds before draining the wastewater into the Spring Creek, was employed to prevent pollution. However, failures of the treatment system led to a buildup of contaminated sediment in the creek, as well as groundwater contamination.
See also
*
Toxic heavy metals
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alabama Plating Company Superfund site
Superfund sites in Alabama
Waste disposal incidents in the United States
Environment of Alabama
Water pollution in the United States
Environmental disasters in the United States