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A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR
Hear from the Mayor about the latest updates on the Sports and Recreation Complex project.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 24, 2024
Printable Copy Here
City to Remediate Area Containing Non-Native Material
Saraland, AL – During a special meeting of the Saraland City Council held at 6 p.m., Monday, September 23, 2024, Mayor Howard Rubenstein shared that the City was recently made aware by the general contractor for the Sportsplex that they had uncovered non-native soil in the northernmost edge of the Sportsplex property.
“Our primary and overriding concern is the health and safety of our residents and future users of the Sportsplex,” Mayor Rubenstein said. “The Sportsplex property encompasses multiple parcels, the lion’s share of which the City obtained in 2022. However, one of the smaller parcels was purchased by the City back in 2007, and the soil in question was located on this parcel.”
After consulting with the City’s civil engineer and geotechnical engineer, Rubenstein explained that an environmental consulting and engineering firm, PPM Consultants, Inc., was enlisted to coordinate and oversee preliminary testing of the area where the soil was found as well as adjacent areas.
On Thursday, September 5, PPM shared their initial findings which indicated the existence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the area of the non-native soil. At that time, the City notified contractors on site to stop work immediately in the area where the soil was located, and the City engaged PPM to assist the city in coordinating all remediation efforts with the appropriate regulatory authorities. PPM continued to analyze the soils and a soil sample report was provided to the City on September 12th. The report confirmed the existence of PCBs. The non-native material was encountered several feet below original grade.
“The City is correcting a problem that appears to have been created more than 40 years ago, decades before we acquired the property in 2007,” Rubenstein continued. “PPM is coordinating the remediation efforts with the EPA, and the City will work closely with all necessary regulatory agencies to ensure an effective remedy is developed and implemented in accordance with current rules and regulations and good engineering practices.”
“There is a silver lining in this finding. We are committed to doing everything necessary to remedy this situation, ensuring this property is cleaned up, protective of public health and the environment, and its future use for our community and visitors,” Rubenstein said.
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Project Update
September 24, 2024
Our primary and overriding concern is the health and safety of our residents and future users of the Sportsplex.
On August 28th, our general contractor for the Sportsplex notified our construction manager that they had uncovered non-native soil in the northernmost edge of the Sportsplex property. After consulting with our civil engineer and geotechnical engineer, the City enlisted an environmental consulting and engineering firm to coordinate initial tests on this soil to assist us with the matter. We hired PPM Consultants, Inc., to coordinate and oversee preliminary testing of the area where the soil was found as well as adjacent areas. On Thursday, September 5, they shared their initial findings which indicated the existence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the area of the non-native soil. At that time, we notified contractors on site to stop work immediately in the area where the soil was located, and the City engaged PPM to assist the city in coordinating all remediation efforts with the appropriate regulatory authorities. PPM continued to analyze the soils and a soil sample report was provided to the City on September 12th. The report confirmed the existence of PCBs.
The Sportsplex property encompasses multiple parcels, the lion’s share of which the City obtained in 2022. However one of the smaller parcels was purchased by the City back in 2007. The soil in question was located on this parcel. The City is correcting a problem that appears to have been created more than 40 years ago, decades before we acquired the property in 2007. The non-native material was first encountered several feet below original grade.
After reviewing the situation, our consultants are coordinating our efforts with the EPA, and the City will work with all necessary regulatory agencies. We will work closely with them to ensure an effective remedy is developed and implemented in accordance with current rules and regulations and good engineering practices.
The silver lining in this finding is that we are doing everything necessary to remedy this situation, ensuring this property is cleaned up, protecting public health and the environment, and ensuring its future use for our community and visitors.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- How did you discover the contaminated soil?
During the process of excavating and clearing the property, our contractor came across a small area of concern on the Northernmost edge of the property in a very small portion of the 97 total acres. The material encountered appeared different than the native soils.The Sportsplex property was historically used as a dirt pit and not as a trash dump.
This prompted us to immediately engage Geotechnical Engineering Testing (GTE) and PPM Consultants, Inc. to examine and test the area.
- What was found?
When the contractor dug down into the ground, they found soil that had a strong odor. Samples of the soil were taken, and lab testing results found that the soils tested contained Polychlorinated Biphenyls, commonly referred to as PCBs. PCBs are not naturally occurring. - What are PCBs and the dangers involved?
PCBs are a group of man-made chemicals that were commonly used up until the late 1970s in electrical equipment, paints, plastics, and rubber products. Banned in 1979 and no longer produced in the United States, they are now known to be toxic and a cause of health problems. PCBs stick strongly to soil. They do not readily break down in soil and may stay in the soil for months or years; generally, the more chlorine atoms that the PCBs contain, the more slowly they break down. (Source: CDC) - What do we know about who did this?
The short answer is we don’t know exactly who dumped this material. However, from what we can tell from aerial photography done since the 1970s, the area immediately above where the non-native soil hasn’t been disturbed for many years, possibly for at least four decades.It is important to note that in the years before PCBs were identified as toxic and banned in 1979, knowledge and laws were not in existence to track and oversee the proper disposal of PCBs. So, we are limited in the information that is readily available to determine what exactly occurred.
What is most important is that we found it and will take all necessary steps to reclaim the area and make this an environmentally safe place for everyone.