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a forest of tall trees is behind a calm lake
Photo: Bottomland hardwood forest representative of the Action Area. (Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources)

Trustees Release Ciba-Geigy Draft Restoration Plan Amendment and Environmental Assessment for Public Comment

October 23, 2024

​On October 23, 2024 the natural resource Trustees for the Ciba-Geigy case are releasing a draft Restoration Plan Amendment / Environmental Assessment (RPA/EA) (PDF, 48 pages) that provides (1) an update on completed restoration activities, (2) a Consistency Evaluation regarding proposed site-specific restoration projects that were evaluated in the 2017 Final RP/PEA, and (3) an evaluation of a new proposed restoration action: feral swine management on state-owned lands, including land that was acquired by the state as a result of the settlement.

Since the release of the 2017 Final RP/EA, the Trustees have acquired two parcels totaling 327 acres: the Simmons Tract in 2018, and the Rigsby Tract in 2019. Both properties border existing protected habitat areas and have been transferred to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for long-term protection and management. The newly proposed feral swine management restoration action would partly take place on these acquired lands.

The Trustees are accepting comments on the RPA/EA for a 30-day comment period open through November 22, 2024. Please send your written comments on the draft plan to Brian Spears no later than November 22, 2024.

Submit comments:

The Trustees for the Ciba-Geigy case include NOAA, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and The Geological Survey of Alabama.

Background on the Ciba-Geigy Restoration Site

Starting in the early 1950’s, the Ciba-Geigy Chemical Corporation (Ciba-Geigy) McIntosh, Alamaba facility was used for the production of various chemicals. Some hazardous substances were disposed of on-site and discharged into the Tombigbee River, impacting water, sediment, fish, shellfish, migratory birds, and several federally and state-protected species. In October 2013, the Trustees and BASF (formerly Ciba-Geigy Corp.) reached a settlement that provided $3.2 million for the restoration of injured natural resources within the Mobile Bay Watershed.

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