The American Brass Superfund site is a former industrial site, located in
Henry County, Alabama
Henry County is a County (United States), county in the Southeast Alabama, southeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 17,146. Its county seat is Abbeville, Alabama, Abbevi ...
. American Brass Inc. (ABI) operated a brass smelter and foundry facility on the site between 1978 and 1992. Prior to its closure in December 1992, the company had been cited 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), and the
Alabama Department of Environmental Management
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) is a state government agency charged with the enforcement of environmental policy in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is authorized to adopt and enforce rules and regulations consistent wit ...
, (ADEM), on several occasions for
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), enacted in 1976, is the principal federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste.United States. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. , , ''et seq ...
(RCRA) violations, arising from its waste and hazardous waste disposal processes.
Site surveys, conducted by ADEM after ABI ceased operations, revealed stockpiles of 150,000 tons of contaminated waste, and extensive soil and groundwater contamination.
After assessment by the 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 May 1999, for long-term remedial action.
See also
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List of Superfund sites
Superfund sites are polluted locations in the United States requiring a long-term response to clean up hazardous material contaminations. They were designated under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCL ...
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Groundwater remediation
Groundwater remediation is the process that is used to treat polluted groundwater by removing the pollutants or converting them into harmless products. Groundwater is water present below the ground surface that saturates the pore space in the subs ...
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Soil contamination
Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activity ...
References
Environmental disasters in the United States
Water pollution in the United States
Superfund sites in Alabama
Soil contamination
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