On Tuesday, the United States Environmental Protection Agency announced its plans to clean up misidentified and improperly stored hazardous waste at the Techtrix, Inc. facility located at 525 Plainview Street, Gadsden, AL, 35901.
“Unfortunately, this is another previously unaddressed problem in Gadsden that we have inherited,” said Mayor Craig Ford. “We are committed to working with the EPA and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, who can use their expertise combined with state and federal resources to get this site cleaned up safely and quickly. While we haven’t been given an official timeline, one thing is certain: as long as I am mayor, I won’t let up on those responsible.”
Techtrix, Inc. is an electroplating and metal finishing shop founded in 1987. The 50,000- square-foot operations building is situated on more than five acres of property on Plainview Street.
Techtrix, Inc. was cited for noncompliance by environmental regulators in 2012, 2014, and 2019. In 2021, the EPA determined that the company had issues of misidentification, mismanagement, storage, disposal, and treatment of solid and hazardous waste and ordered Techtrix, Inc. to take steps to clean up the site.
City of Gadsden | 90 Broad Street, Gadsden, AL 35901 | (256) 549-4500
According to the EPA, their agency and ADEM achieved some success with bringing the facility into full compliance, but the death of the owner earlier this year shut the facility down. With no one to continue disposing of the waste, EPA began the process of assuming the necessary closure actions. EPA’s Superfund and Emergency Management Division initiated an immediate response action in August after identifying leaking storage tanks.
The EPA’s team coordinating the cleanup response actions at the Techtrix, Inc. location addressed the Gadsden City Council on Tuesday and said they will plan future community meetings to address questions or concerns from residents.
The Gadsden-Etowah Emergency Management Agency, the Gadsden Fire Department, and the Gadsden Police Department are coordinating with EPA to assist if needed.
STATEMENT PROVIDED BY EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is cleaning up contamination at the Techtrix, Inc. site (the Site), an electroplating and metal finishing facility located at 525 Plainview Street in Gadsden, Alabama. We have assessed and secured the Site and are working on the next steps to fully address the Site and remove contaminants, including cyanide and corrosive wastes.
The cleanup is expected to take several months. We are committed to robust community engagement and will share more cleanup details, host a community meeting, etc. to keep the community informed as work progresses.
At the request of the City of Gadsden, EPA’s On-Scene Coordinator Chuck Berry will participate in Council meetings today to share information and answer questions. An EPA website will go live later today where residents and other interested stakeholders can find more information. The website be published at www.epa.gov/al under “Hot Topics.