OSWER/OSRTI 

Washington, DC 20460 

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (NPL) 

***Final Site*** September 2012 

ALABAMA PLATING COMPANY, INC. Vincent, Alabama 

Shelby County 

 Site Location: 

The Alabama Plating Company, Inc. (APC) site is located approximately one mile northeast of Vincent, at the intersection 

of U.S. Highway 231 and County Highway 60, about 25 miles east-southeast of Birmingham, Alabama. 

 Site History: 

From 1956 to 1996, APC operated an electroplating and hot-dip galvanizing facility at the 6 acre site. Wastewater and 

sludge generated from these processes contained a range of inorganic contaminants (metals) and was discharged into onsite 

lagoons and a drainage ditch which flows to Spring Creek. In 1986, the Alabama Department of Environmental 

Management (ADEM) ordered APC to cease all discharge of wastewater, clean up the discharge ditch and determine the 

extent of ground water contamination. In 1987, APC closed three wastewater treatment lagoons. Partial and inadequate 

clean up responses continued through the early 1990s. Galvanizing operations continued until 1996. Currently the site is 

vacant. 

 Site Contamination/Contaminants: 

Site-related contaminants including arsenic, cadmium, cyanide, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel and zinc have been found 

in sludge, soil and sediment at the site. At the time the surface impoundments were closed (1987), they contained almost 

10,000 cubic yards of RCRA hazardous sludge and contaminated soils. Ground water beneath the APC site remains highly 

contaminated by metals, including lead, cadmium, chromium, cyanide and mercury. 

 Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment: 

Ground water from the site drains into two adjoining creeks which have wetland frontage. The unnamed stream flows an 

estimated 3 to 4 miles to Spring Creek, which is a fishery and tributary of the Coosa River, located about 2 miles east of the 

site. Ground water use within a 4-mile radius of the site includes a municipal water supply operated by the Vincent Water 

Works (VWW), which obtains its water from four springs located northwest of the site. Water from the springs is pumped 

to a collection point that is located about 0.5 mile southwest of APC. VWW provides water to approximately 2,916 people. 

While there have been no detections of site-related hazardous substances in the raw water supply to date, the threat to this 

water supply remains because of local geologic conditions (karst terrain). 

 Response Activities (to date): 

In 1999, the EPA began a Superfund time-critical removal action at the APC site to address visible surface soil 

contamination, lagoon sludge, abandoned hazardous waste, buildings and debris. During excavation activities, the EPA 

uncovered many drums and other containers throughout the property. The EPA removed and disposed of more than 46,000 

tons of non-hazardous soil, 11,000 tons of hazardous soil, 165 tons of zinc dross, 3,100 tons of cyanide-saturated soil, 135 

tons of cadmium-saturated soil, and various other hazardous materials from the site. 

 Need for NPL Listing: 

The EPA proposed the site for addition to the NPL in 2000. Site ground water needs to be controlled in order to prevent the 

continued contamination of wetlands, fisheries and the Coosa River, and threats to the local water supply. Other federal and 

state cleanup programs were evaluated, but are not viable at this time. The EPA received a letter of support from Alabama 

for the EPA’s cleanup plan, which includes placing this site on the NPL. 

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change 

as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination.] 

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these 

substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet 

at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/index.asp or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.