ciba-geigy corp. (mcintosh plant)

OFF HWY 43

The 1,500-acre site is located in an industrial area two miles northeast of McIntosh, Alabama. The active production facility is located on 1,100 acres. The remaining 400 acres at the site are undeveloped land in the floodplain of the Tombigbee River. The site’s surroundings include the Olin Corporation (McIntosh Plant) Superfund site to the south, the Tombigbee River to the southeast and undeveloped pine forest to the north. The nearest residences are a half-mile from the site. The plant began production with the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in the eary 1950s. By 1970, the plant was also producing fluorescent brighteners used in laundry products, herbicides, insecticides and other agricultural and industrial products. Production later expanded to include resins and additives used by the plastics industry and specialty chemical products. During past operations, production was disposed of in several unlined pits and open landfills on the property. Prior to 1965, wastewater from the plant flowed into the Tombigbee River after chemicals were treated. The Tombigbee River and freshwater wetlands, which are subject to periodic flooding, are located near several former disposal areas. Ciba-Geigy Corporation stopped producing agricultural chemicals in 1999, and shut down herbicide and insecticide production in 2003. In 1984, EPA listed the site on the NPL. The BASF Corporation currently owns the site property and continues to operate the facility.