35th Avenue

Overview

The 35th Avenue site covers mixed industrial and residential neighborhoods in North Birmingham, Alabama, specifically the Collegeville, Fairmont, and Harriman Park communities. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the site for the National Priorities List (NPL), the federal list of the most serious contaminated sites, in September 2014. A removal action, which is a faster cleanup step used before a full remedial investigation is complete, began in February 2014 and is scheduled to finish by July 31, 2025. Major long-term cleanup milestones such as the remedial investigation and formal remedy selection have not yet started.

The main contaminants are lead, arsenic, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including benzo(a)pyrene, all found in soil. Both arsenic and benzo(a)pyrene are carcinogens. A 2014 EPA Hazard Ranking System study found that contamination presents an unacceptable risk to residents. Contaminated fill material from nearby coke plants and steel facilities was brought onto residential properties for development and flood control, which spread the problem into neighborhoods. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) issued exposure-reduction recommendations in 2017 for residents while cleanup continues.

The EPA has sampled 2,054 properties and found that 669 exceeded its Removal Management Levels, the thresholds that trigger cleanup. So far, more than 650 properties have been remediated and about 90,000 tons of contaminated soil has been excavated and sent to an approved off-site landfill. Cleanup is prioritized in four phases, starting with the most contaminated properties, then homes where children or pregnant women live, then properties with elevated carcinogens, and finally the remaining identified properties. About 14 properties are still awaiting cleanup, and the EPA is seeking access to sample an additional 16. After contaminated soil is removed and replaced with clean material, confirmation sampling confirms the property can return to full unrestricted use. The EPA has temporarily demobilized equipment from the site to reduce costs and plans to process legal warrants for properties not yet accessed when work resumes. The agency is also negotiating with potentially responsible parties to recover cleanup costs paid through taxpayer funding.

The EPA has engaged the community since 2014 through public meetings, open houses, site tours, and regular attendance at neighborhood association meetings. Staff have worked with residents, city officials, the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District, Birmingham City Schools, and local groups including the North Birmingham Community Coalition, GASP, and PANIC. The agency has hosted environmental workshops and summer camps at local schools. Residents can review site documents at two local repositories: Harriman Park Recreation Center at 4347 F.L. Shuttlesworth Drive and North Birmingham Public Library at 2501 31st Avenue North. An updated Community Involvement Plan is also available to explain the decision-making process and how the public can provide input.