Tracking cleanup efforts at Invictus Energy site

Updated February 10, 2026 – Chattahoochee Riverkeeper is tracking efforts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up a former oil storage and waste recycling facility located only 300 feet from the Chattahoochee River between Columbus and Lake Eufaula.  When the facility was abandoned by the private owner in 2018, there were roughly 3.6 million gallons of oil, wastewater and sludge stored in 15 holding tanks. 

In November 2025, thanks to a hotline report from a concerned resident, CRK staff performed a fly-over with a drone and captured imagery of the facility that showed black liquid leaking from the tanks. We reported this to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Through documents filed with ADEM, CRK discovered that ADEM and EPA were first notified of leaks at the facility in 2021 due to bullet holes from an unknown source. EPA stepped in and took steps to stabilize the leaks. Since then, EPA has been actively working to remove the contaminated liquid stored on site when federal funds are available. 

Recent work by EPA contractors removed most of the liquid from the tanks, with roughly 600,000 gallons remaining. Some of the waste removed has been transported to a landfill in Alabama. According to EPA, the remaining, less-hazardous liquid will be treated on site and discharged. EPA estimates that all waste will be removed from the facility by the end of 2026.

CRK will continue to monitor this site until it no longer threatens the river and downstream communities. Questions/concerns? Reach out to Ashley Desensi, CRK Technical Programs Specialist, at adesensi@chattahoochee.org or call our main phone line at 404.352.9828.

The site was originally an oil storage facility for barges traveling up and down the Chattahoochee River. When barge traffic on the river halted, the facility was sold and turned into a waste recycling center, but has been abandoned since 2018.