Notable case, Anniston, Alabama, United States
Anniston PCB Site
An Alabama city where PCBs were made from 1929 to 1971, first by Swann Chemical and then by Monsanto. Waste went into landfills next to the plant and into the streams that run through nearby neighbourhoods.
At a glance
- Status
- Remediation under way
- Area
- 28 ha on land1
- Activity
- 1929–1971
- Media
- soil, sediment, surface water
- Kind of site
- chemical works
- Area. The plant covers about 70 acres (28 ha); contamination extends along the 11th Street ditch, Snow Creek and Choccolocco Creek as far as the Coosa River.
Contaminants
Organic compounds
Status
Remediation under way
Four operable units: construction at the plant (OU3) finished in 2018; design for OU1/OU2 is under way; the remedy decision for Choccolocco Creek (OU4) was issued in December 2024.
Story
PCBs were made in Anniston from 1929 to 1935 by the Swann Chemical Company and from 1935 to 1971 by Monsanto (now Solutia). Waste was disposed of in several areas, including the West End and South landfills next to the plant, and surface water carried it into the 11th Street ditch, Snow Creek, Choccolocco Creek and the Coosa River. According to internal company documents cited by Wikipedia, in 1969 the plant was discharging about 250 pounds (110 kg) of PCBs a day into Snow Creek.
EPA describes the site as NPL-calibre and handles it through an alternative agreement with the company. Most contaminated residential properties have been cleaned up, except wooded areas and those where access was refused.
Timeline
- 1929Swann Chemical starts making PCBs.
- 1935Monsanto takes over the plant.
- 1971PCB production ends.
- 2000First administrative order for sampling residential properties.
- 2003Partial consent decree.
- 2018Construction at the plant area (OU3) completed.
- 2024Remedy decision for Choccolocco Creek (OU4).
Remediation
- 2003soil removalSoil cleanup at contaminated residential properties, largely complete.
From the literature
Species that acted on one of this site's contaminants in at least one study. The list is automatic and takes no account of this site's soil, concentrations or climate.
Plants
- Cucurbita pepoZucchini, pumpkinPolychlorinated biphenylsEvidence: field
- Medicago sativaAlfalfa, lucernePolychlorinated biphenylsEvidence: field
- Populus × generosaHybrid poplar (P. trichocarpa × P. deltoides)Polychlorinated biphenylsEvidence: field
- Morus spp.MulberryPolychlorinated biphenylsEvidence: laboratory
Fungi
- Irpex lacteusMilk-white toothed polyporePolychlorinated biphenylsEvidence: laboratory
- Phanerochaete chrysosporiumPolychlorinated biphenylsEvidence: laboratory
- Phlebia brevisporaPolychlorinated biphenylsEvidence: laboratory
- Pleurotus ostreatusOyster mushroomPolychlorinated biphenylsEvidence: laboratory
Nearby
Sources
- Anniston PCB Site (Monsanto Co), Anniston, AL – Cleanup Activities, US EPA, 2026
- Anniston, Alabama, Wikipedia, 2026
Draft compiled from public sources, not yet reviewed.