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T. H. Agriculture & Nutrition (Montgomery Plant)
National Information
Photos/Multimedia
TH Agriculture building on site.
Additional Resources
- Site Cleanup Terms - can be found in EPA's glossary
- EPA Guides to Cleanup Technologies
- Superfund Community Involvement (PDF) (17 pp, 130K, About PDF)
Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: ALD007454085Location: Montgomery, Montgomery County, AL
Lat/Long: 32.376100, -086.379100
Congressional District: 07
NPL Status: Proposed: 06/24/88; Final: 08/30/90
Affected Media: Ground water, Sediment, Soil, Surface Water
Cleanup Status: Construction complete - physical cleanup activities have been completed
Human Exposure Under Control: Yes
Groundwater Migration Under Control: Yes
Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use: No
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: None
Site Manager: Brian Farrier (farrier.brian@epa.gov)
Current Site Status
The T. H. Agriculture & Nutrition Co. (Montgomery Plant) site includes the area where operations formulated, packaged and distributed pesticides, herbicides and other industrial and water treatment chemicals. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990 because of contaminated ground water, sediment and soil resulting from operations at the site. EPA, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and the site’s potentially responsible parties (PRPs) have investigated site conditions and taken steps to clean up the site in order to protect people and the environment from contamination. The PRPs completed demolition of all on-site buildings in 2010. Site contamination does not currently threaten people living and working near the site. By monitoring ground water, placing institutional controls on the site property and undertaking Five-Year Reviews, EPA, ADEM and the site’s PRPs continue to protect people and the environment from site contamination.
Site Location and Background
The 16.4-acre site is located on the west side of Montgomery, Alabama, approximately two miles south of the Alabama River and just west of Maxwell Air Force Base. The site includes two adjacent parcels of land – the T.H. Agriculture property and the Atofina Chemicals, Inc. property. Commercial and industrial land uses border the site to the north, east and south. An undeveloped residential area borders the site to the west. A mobile home park is located northwest of the site.
The site includes the area where companies formulated, packaged and distributed pesticides, herbicides and other industrial and water treatment chemicals. In 1990, EPA listed the site on the NPL. Currently, the site is vacant. There are no plans to redevelop the site.
Threats and Contaminants
Site investigations found contamination in ground water, sediment and soil that could potentially harm people in the area. Contamination resulted from operations at the site. Contaminants of concern include hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH, formally known as BHC, or benzene hexachloride), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (also known as PCE or PERC), DDT, DDD and DDE, toxaphene, and arsenic.
People use ground water near the site for drinking, domestic and industrial purposes. However, no contamination-affected wells are in use. Ground water monitoring data indicate contaminant levels are decreasing with time.
Investigation and Cleanup Responsibility / Oversight
Elf Atochem North America Inc. (Elf Atochem) and T. H. Agriculture & Nutrition Co. (THAN), the site’s PRPs, led site investigation and cleanup activities during the interim ground water cleanup, while Elf Atochem has implemented the design and cleanup phase of the final ground water, soil and sediment cleanup. EPA and ADEM have provided oversight of all activities.
Site Cleanup Plan
Site investigations and cleanup activities have focused on two areas, which EPA refers to as operable units, or OUs. These areas include OU-1: interim ground water cleanup; and OU-2: final ground water, soil and sediment cleanup.
In 1995, EPA issued a cleanup plan (a Record of Decision, or ROD) for OU-1. The plan included the following activities:
- Extracting ground water to contain contamination within the site boundary.
- Discharging ground water to the local water treatment plant for treatment.
In 1998, EPA issued a cleanup plan (a ROD) for OU-2. The plan included the following activities:
- Digging up contaminated soil and sediment.
- Backfilling the dug-up areas.
- Treating dug-up soil and sediment on site using living organisms to break down contaminants.
- Revegetating the backfilled areas.
- Placing institutional controls, including fencing and deed restrictions, on the site property to limit site uses to industrial land uses.
- Evaluating the OU-1 cleanup plan and supplementing the use of living organisms to break down contaminants with other enhanced techniques.
Cleanup Progress
The site’s PRPs, Elf Atochem and THAN, installed and operated the ground water extraction system from 1997 until 2002. Elf Atochem began OU-2 cleanup activities in 2002. Operation of the ground water extraction system stopped so that enhanced techniques – the use of living organisms to break down contaminants – could be put in place. The techniques involved injecting a hydrogen release compound (HRC) into ground water to treat contamination.
In 2002, Elf Atochem also began consolidating contaminated soil and sediment on site for treatment. Elf Atochem finished treating approximately 2,850 cubic yards of soil and sediment in 2004.
Elf Atochem began additional HRC injections to further address ground water contamination in 2005.
In 2010, Elf Atochem completed demolition of all on-site buildings.
In 2011, Elf Atochem sampled ground water as part of regular ground water monitoring.
The site’s second Five-Year Review, completed in 2007, found that the cleanup remains protective of human health and the environment.
Summaries of cleanup activities are also available in Five-Year Reviews online.
Enforcement Activities
EPA negotiated legal agreements with the site’s PRP to investigate and clean up the site. Elf Atochem continues to fund site cleanup, monitoring and oversight activities.
Community Involvement
EPA has worked with the community and its state partner to develop a long-term cleanup plan for the site, reflecting the Agency’s commitment to safe, healthy communities and environmental protection. Community engagement and public outreach are core components of EPA program activities.
EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities to solicit community input and to make sure the public remains informed about site activities throughout the cleanup process. Outreach efforts have included public meetings and interviews with local stakeholders.
Future Work
Ground water monitoring at the site is ongoing.
EPA completed the last Five-Year Review in 2007 and plans to complete the next Five-Year Review in 2012.
Additional Information
EPA keeps additional site documents and information in a site information repository at the location below. EPA also posts site documents, when available, on EPA’s CERCLIS Site Profile page. For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.
Site Repository
Rufus Lewis Regional Library
3095 Mobile Highway
Montgomery, AL 36108