The Anniston Army Depot Southeast Industrial Area sits on a 15,319-acre active U.S. Army installation in Calhoun County, Alabama, about 10 miles west of Anniston. EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in March 1989. Past military operations left behind solid and liquid wastes that contaminated both soil and groundwater. Cleanup is organized into five operable units covering different areas and contamination types, and work has been underway since the early 1990s.
Groundwater contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are chemicals commonly used to clean heavy equipment. Specific VOCs include trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, and several related compounds. Groundwater also contains the explosive compound RDX, and metals such as lead, arsenic, chromium, and manganese. Soil in the Southeast Industrial Area is contaminated with lead, cadmium, chromium, antimony, thallium, and zinc. A neighboring area also contains the explosive TNT. Contaminants can migrate into groundwater, and treating some of them can release naturally occurring metals from surrounding soils.
The U.S. Army is the lead responsible party for cleanup, with EPA as the lead regulatory agency under CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act). The Army has excavated and capped contaminated soils, run an air-stripping treatment plant, and upgraded an on-site groundwater interception system. In 2000, the Army funded five air-stripping towers to remove VOCs from Coldwater Spring before water reaches the public water supply. Soil cleanup in the Southeast Industrial Area wrapped up in 2008. A more advanced pump-and-treat system is now being built to address high levels of remaining groundwater contamination, with remedial action estimated to continue through December 2027 to February 2028.
According to EPA assessments, human exposure is currently under control and groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. However, construction is not yet complete and the site has not been deleted from the National Priorities List. Land use controls prohibit using groundwater for drinking or irrigation, require fencing and signage, and mandate annual inspections. A multi-agency task force monitors groundwater to protect the Pygmy Sculpin, a native fish species in Coldwater Spring. A five-year review was completed in September 2025, with the next review due by September 2030.
Community members can get involved by attending public meetings or reviewing site documents. Key records are available at two locations in Anniston: the Anniston Army Depot at 7 Frankford Avenue, Building 199, and the Anniston Main Library at 108 East 10th Street. EPA Remedial Project Managers John Fonk, Pete Dao, and Elliott Harrington can answer questions about cleanup progress and direct the public to relevant records.
