Samples taken of mysterious leak at Cullman mausoleum, test results expected in 7-10 days

CULLMAN, Alabama – A laboratory is beginning tests to determine the true nature of a disturbing leak discovered in May at the largest mausoleum at Cullman Memory Gardens cemetery, according to State Sen. Paul Bussman (R-Cullman).

"Today we had a lab come to the cemetery and get samples of the liquid draining from the vault area," Bussman said in an email late this afternoon to AL.com and some other outlets. "We should have the results in 7-10 days."

Bussman has expressed concern that the leak could be embalming fluid from a body and could constitute a public health hazard.

The leak recently forced the closure of the mausoleum by the state of Alabama and by officials with the court overseeing the bankruptcy of the troubled cemetery.

Bussman has said previously that results of the test will determine the other actions that need to be taken at the facility. "From that evaluation, we will make a determination as to our next steps to fix the problem," he said.

The senator told AL.com on July 7 that he had asked Enersolv Corporation, a laboratory based in Decatur, to perform the test and that he would pay for it himself.

"What we're looking for are the fluids they use for embalming," he said, citing such examples as formaldehyde. "We are looking for certain chemicals they use that would not be ordinarily in rain water."

Before ordering the test, Bussman said that he consulted with a toxicologist at the Alabama Department of Public Health to set the parameters for the test.

"I wanted the (ADPH) to identify some of the elements that we need to look for," he said in June. "I didn't want to do just a broad test. There are certain things with a burial that you want to look for."

In recent months, the closure and other financial and maintenance issues at the facility have caused concern and, in some cases, financial hardship for some of the people who own lots at Memory Gardens or have family members buried there.

The Cullman Times reported on July 2 that the state was appointing a trustee to manage the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings after the cemetery's owner, DeArbor LLC, was accused of fraud by a firm that had loaned the cemetery $700,000.

AL.com will continue to follow this story.