The Alabama Army Ammunition Plant is a 5,170-acre former explosives manufacturing facility in Talladega County, near Childersburg, Alabama. It was added to the EPA's Superfund National Priorities List in July 1987 because past operations left soil, sediment, and groundwater contaminated. The site is divided into two main areas, Area A and Area B, and further organized into eight operable units, or OUs, so cleanup can be tackled in focused pieces.
Contaminants include explosive-related chemicals such as trinitrotoluene (TNT), dinitrotoluene compounds, and tetryl. Heavy metals, including lead, chromium, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and barium, are present in soil and liquid waste. The site also contains polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzo(a)pyrene, and asbestos across soil, sediment, buildings, and liquid waste. Contamination originally posed health risks through ingestion or skin contact from sewer lines, soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater.
The U.S. Army, as the lead federal agency, has driven most of the cleanup. Between 1994 and 1997, the Army treated about 120,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil using thermal treatment. Area A was declared uncontaminated in 1991 and all its soil and groundwater cleanup finished by 1998. Most other operable units have also completed remedial actions, with Area B soils cleanup finishing in July 2022. Area B was transferred to the City of Childersburg in 2003 for potential industrial park development. Residential use of the property is not permitted, and portions of Area B are limited to industrial, commercial, recreational, or wildlife habitat uses.
Active work continues on two fronts. Asbestos removal in Area B (OU 8) is scheduled for April 2025, and a second phase of Area B soils work is planned for March 2025. Groundwater in Area B (OU 4) is still under investigation, with a remedial investigation estimated to conclude between June and August 2027. The Army is evaluating whether groundwater contamination will naturally attenuate over time or if active treatment is needed. Contaminated groundwater is stabilized, meaning it stays in its original area and does not discharge unacceptably to surface water, but cleanup construction is not yet complete. The status of human exposure remains uncertain due to incomplete response data. A most recent five-year review was completed on August 30, 2023, and the next is estimated between August and October 2028. An Explanation of Significant Differences was approved by the EPA in April 2024.
Community members can stay informed through EPA public notices and by contacting the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator, Marjorie Thomas, or the Remedial Project Manager, Brian Englert. The complete Administrative Record is available through the lead agency or the site's Public Information Repository.
