Stauffer Chemical Co. (Cold Creek Plant)

Overview

Stauffer Chemical Company ran an agricultural chemical manufacturing plant on 220 acres in Bucks, Alabama from 1966 until 2008. Wastewater from manufacturing flowed into clay-lined ponds and Cold Creek Swamp, contaminating groundwater, soil, and sediment. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1984. Cleanup is split into three areas: groundwater beneath the site and a neighboring facility, source areas such as landfills and treatment ponds, and surface water and sediment in Cold Creek Swamp.

EPA has identified 12 contaminants at the site. Groundwater holds butylate, carbon disulfide, carbon tetrachloride, molinate, pebulate, EPTC, and vernolate. Soil at the source area contains molinate, pebulate, EPTC, and vernolate. Mercury was found in swamp sediment and fish tissue. The Alabama Department of Public Health issued a fish advisory warning people not to eat fish caught in Cold Creek Swamp.

Cleanup work has been underway since the 1970s. Actions have included installing groundwater extraction and treatment systems, excavating contaminated soils, capping polluted areas, and using biological breakdown to treat soil. A 17.5-acre engineered cap over the swamp was completed in December 2016. Soil remediation at the source area was finished in March 2019. Groundwater cleanup is still in progress, with optimization studies underway. The swamp remedy is currently not protective, and additional investigations are needed to evaluate mercury levels and decide if the cleanup approach there needs to change.

As of the most recent Five-Year Review in September 2021, the site has not yet reached construction completion or readiness for reuse. EPA currently considers human exposure under control and groundwater migration stabilized, with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. A new Five-Year Review is expected between August and October 2026. A Five-Year Review is required whenever hazardous substances remain above levels that allow unrestricted use.

Community members can stay involved through public meetings and other outreach. EPA hosted a public meeting on May 6, 2025 at the Sail Building in Creola, Alabama. The agency also gives an annual site update each January at the LeMoyne Community Advisory Panel Meeting at the Turnerville Volunteer Fire Department in Axis, Alabama. Site records are available at the Satsuma Public Library in Satsuma, Alabama.