Technical Assistance Plan Grant (TAPG)

Program Overview

West Anniston Foundation was awarded $50,000 for the Technical Assistance Plan Grant (TAPG) through funds made available by Solutia, Inc. The Technical Assistance Plan Grant (TAPG) is a component of the Consent Decree (CD) which was signed into effect in August 2003 and contains PCB cleanup mandates. Technical language used in documents and data during cleanup efforts may need further interpretation or clarification to convey critical information to the wider community.

This project employs the expertise of a Technical Advisor (TA) to review and comment on documents pertaining to PCB (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) cleanup activities. The Technical Advisor (TA) position is funded through TAPG, and is responsible for serving as both an advisor and community liaison. The TA’s primary role is to support community involvement in the review of site-related technical documents, data, and other information related to PCB cleanup activities and communicate findings and relevant information with the broader community (EPA ANNISTON PCB SITE, n.d.).

Consent Decree Summary

Purpose: To determine the nature and extent of contamination and any threat to the public health, welfare, or the environment caused by the release or threatened release of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants at or from the site, by conducting a remedial investigation:

To determine and evaluate alternatives for remedial action to prevent, mitigate or otherwise respond to or remedy any release or threatened release of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants at or from the site, by conducting a feasibility study;
To recover future response costs and AOC Oversight Costs incurred by EPA with respect to the site;
To create the Anniston Community Education Foundation that will provide special education, tutoring, and or other supplemental education services for the children of west Anniston that have learning disabilities or otherwise need additional educational assistance;
To provide funding for a Technical Assistance Plan and a Community Advisory Group (CAG) for the affected community;
To incorporate the existing removal order into this Consent Decree, and;
To partially resolve the claims of the plaintiff against the defendants.

Site Cleanup and Institutional Controls

The Anniston Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) site consists of the area where hazardous substances, including PCBs (associated with the operations of the Anniston plant by Solutia Inc. Monsanto Company, and their predecessors) have come to be located. Solutia's Anniston plant encompasses approximately 70 acres of land and is located about 1 mile west of downtown Anniston. During its operational history, the plant disposed of hazardous and non-hazardous waste at various areas, including the west end landfill and the south landfill, which are located adjacent to the plant. During the time that the west end landfill and the south landfill were used to dispose of wastes, hazardous substances, including PCBs, were released from the landfills via soils and sediments being transported in surface water leaving the property. In addition, during the time that PCBs were manufactured by Monsanto Company at its Anniston plant, PCBs were discharged directly into a ditch that flowed into Snow Creek.

The cleanup of the PCB site presents extremely complicated technical issues because a large diverse geographic area is impacted. The area of contamination includes Solutia property, Snow and Choccolocco Creeks, and their floodplains, as well as numerous residential and commercial properties (Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), n.d.; See also U.S. v. Pharmacia & Solutia, 2005). The geographic coverage of the Anniston PCB Site is extensive, and conditions vary from area to area. To effectively plan and implement investigation and assessment tasks, the Site is divided into three Operable Units, or OUs. (Solutia Alternative Remediation Work Plan, 2013).

For more information, visit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ANNISTON PCB SITE (MONSANTO CO) site at https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.Stayup&id=0400123#Stayup.