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Site Report: Port Heiden RRS AOC08 Landfill B (FUDS)

Site Name: Port Heiden RRS AOC08 Landfill B (FUDS)
Address: Landfill B, Port Heiden, AK 99549
File Number: 2637.38.002.04
Hazard ID: 182
Status: Cleanup Complete - Institutional Controls
Staff: Ginna Quesada, 9074515960 ginna.quesada@alaska.gov
Latitude: 56.947861
Longitude: -158.630306
Horizontal Datum:NAD83

We make every effort to ensure the data presented here is accurate based on the best available information currently on file with DEC. It is therefore subject to change as new information becomes available. We recommend contacting the assigned project staff prior to making decisions based on this information.

Problems/Comments

Demolition debris, petroleum contaminated soil and scrap metal were disposed of in a permitted landfill during cleanup work conducted by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the early 1990s. Landfill B is located approximately 1/2 mile south of the west end of the main runway, on the opposite side of the airport from the former Radio Relay Site (RRS), and was used to dispose of Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) wastes, mainly related to World War II debris associated with the old Fort Morrow. POL-impacted soil. with less than 5,000 mg/kg TPH, and with PCB concentrations less than 10 mg/kg were placed in 6-mch lifts within the landfill cap. The landfill was seeded after the cap was in place. This site falls under the U.S. Army CORPS FUDS program and is not part of the RRS. One of three large landfills known to exist at the Port Heiden RRS. They consist of Landfills A and B which belong to the USACE, and the Radio Relay Station (RRS) Landfill, which was used by the Air Force during the operation of the facility. Formerly known as AOC08. Site "B" (Landfill B) is located at T37S, R59W, SW 1/4 NW 1/4 of Sec 26, in Township 37 South, Range 59 West of the Seward Meridian coverd by permit number 8721-BA013. The geographical boundaries of the waste management area (monofill-construction and demolition debris) were as follows: Located within the boundaries of NAD83 GPS coordinates: N56° 56’ 52.3”, W158° 37’ 49.1” and N56° 56’ 53”, W158° 37’ 50.6” and N56° 56’ 53.9”, W158° 37’ 51.1” and N56° 56’ 54.1”, W158° 37’ 48.6” RCRA EPA ID#AK0210890091 Hazardous waste activity: generator 1. CERCLA AK9570028705; Site located about 100 miles NE of Cold Bay, on the north side of Alaska Peninsula.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
3/1/1984 Update or Other Action In 1984, the USAF received waste-disposal permits for cleanup oerpations at Port Heiden (Permit 8421-BA014) and other remote WACS sites. According to the USAF "The 5099th CEOS believes that this one shot cleanup will remove the last of the hazardous material and bury the remaining general debris at the sites." No record exists about the contents or location of the debris buried at Port Heiden during the 1984 effort. Correspondence indicates that the USAF allowed the permit to expire in October of 1984. Louis Howard
2/8/1988 Update or Other Action Permit 8712-BA012 was issued for the disposal of demolition debris at Landfill A and 87211-BA013 was issued for Landfill B on February 5, 1988. The Proposed Site A is located at the WACS site, and site B is one-half mile south of the west end of the runway. The permit files of the ADEC solid waste management program do not contain record drawings, records of use, or closure documentation. The permit expired on January 31, 1993. On permit application request was for a Demolition Debris Exemption. Included 99% demolition wastes, oily wastes(generated from 40 yr. Old tar and heavy oils), and smaller amount of ash/incinerator residue. Also, asbestos is included in application. Draft closure plan submitted in 1995 indicates that POL contaminated soils were also placed in the landfill and that the site was covered and reseeded during the summer of '91. Jennifer Roberts
6/20/1991 Cleanup Level(s) Approved Letter from Jennifer Roberts Fed. Fac. Coordinator-Southcentral Regional Office to Louis R. Pylant Lt. Col. COE RE: FUDS Risk Analysis Dated June 19, 1991. The Department has reviewed the Final Risk Analysis for Alternative Cleanup Levels at Port Heiden, Alaska, submitted by your department on June 19, 1991. The risk analysis adequately addresses the concerns generated by utilizing a cleanup level of 5,000 parts per million total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) for remote areas of the Port Heiden Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) cleanup. This 5,000 ppm does not include benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and total xylenes. It is my understanding that the components have volatilized off and are no longer an issue. This letter approves of the work proposed in the Final Risk Analysis with a remote site-specific cleanup level of 5,000 ppm (mg/kg) for TPH. (CC'd Max Schwenne, Ron Godden, and Eileen Olsen). Jennifer Roberts
4/12/1994 Update or Other Action EPA Region 10 sent letter to USAF Lt. Colonel Rodney L. Hunt 11th CEOS. The letter was to inform the Air Force that EPA Region 10 has completed the review of the Preliminary Assessment (PA) report for the Port Heiden White Alice Communication site located near Port Heiden, Alaska. The PA and supplemental information have been evaluated in accordance with 40 CFR Part 300 Appendix A, which is EPA's Hazard Ranking System (HRS) used to evaluate federal facilities for inclusion on the National Priorities List (NPL). From our evaluation, EPA has determined that the facility does not score high enough to be proposed for inclusion on the NPL. Therefore, a recommendation of no further remedial action planned (NFRAP) on the EPA's part will be included in our Federal Agency Hazardous Waste Compliance Docket tracking system. If new or additional information to be proposed for the NPL, EPA must reevaluate your facility accordingly. EPA's NFRAP designation does not relieve your facility from complying with appropriate Alaska state regulations. The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986, Section 120(a) (4) requires federal facilities to comply with state cleanup requirements and standards when not listed on the NPL. This facility will not be removed from the Federal Agency Hazardous Waste Compliance Docket, but as noted earlier, will be listed for no further action by EPA. Mark Adar Federal Facilities, Site Assessment Manager. NOTE to File: CHAPTER 103--COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE, COMPENSATION, AND LIABILITY SUBCHAPTER I--HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES RELEASES, LIABILITY, COMPENSATION Sec. 9620. Federal facilities (a) Application of chapter to Federal Government (1) In general Each department, agency, and instrumentality of the United States (including the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government) shall be subject to, and comply with, this chapter in the same manner and to the same extent, both procedurally and substantively, as any nongovernmental entity, including liability under section 9607 of this title. Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the liability of any person or entity under sections 9606 and 9607 of this title. (2) Application of requirements to Federal facilities All guidelines, rules, regulations, and criteria which are applicable to preliminary assessments carried out under this chapter for facilities at which hazardous substances are located, applicable to evaluations of such facilities under the National Contingency Plan, applicable to inclusion on the National Priorities List, or applicable to remedial actions at such facilities shall also be applicable to facilities which are owned or operated by a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States in the same manner and to the extent as such guidelines, rules, regulations, and criteria are applicable to other facilities. No department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States may adopt or utilize any such guidelines, rules, regulations, or criteria which are inconsistent with the guidelines, rules, regulations, and criteria established by the Administrator under this chapter. (3) Exceptions This subsection shall not apply to the extent otherwise provided in this section with respect to applicable time periods. This subsection shall also not apply to any requirements relating to bonding, insurance, or financial responsibility. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require a State to comply with section 9604(c)(3) of this title in the case of a facility which is owned or operated by any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States. (4) State laws State laws concerning removal and remedial action, including State laws regarding enforcement, shall apply to removal and remedial action at facilities owned or operated by a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States or facilities that are the subject of a deferral under subsection (h)(3)(C) of this section when such facilities are not included on the National Priorities List. The preceding sentence shall not apply to the extent a State law would apply any standard or requirement to such facilities which is more stringent than the standards and requirements applicable to facilities which are not owned or operated by any such department, agency, or instrumentality. Louis Howard
12/31/1994 Update or Other Action US Army Corps of Engineers contracted with CH2MHILL to conduct a preliminary assessment of the Port Heiden White Alice Communication System (WACS) site. During the summers of 1990 and 1991, hazardous materials were removed from Port Heiden and disposed of offsite. Nonhazardous materials were disposed of in two landfills: Landfill A northeast of the composite building and Landfill B south of the airfield. Asbestos-containing materials removed from the composite building and Quonset huts were deposited in Landfill A in a designated cell. The WACS site composite building, antennas, and associated structures were removed and deposited in Landfill A. Building debris from other areas of Fort Morrow ended up in both landfills. Disturbed areas were fertilized and reseeded according to contract specifications. Louis Howard
12/1/1995 Update or Other Action Draft Landfill Closure Report for Debris Cleanup and Site Restoration DERP Solid Waste Disposal Permit Numbers 8721-BA012 and 8721-BA013. The work was performed under the US ACE AK District contract number DACA85-89-C-0042. The buildings of Fort Morrow were constructed in an area of approximately 8,000 acres surrounding two airfield runways, which are located 2 miles northeast of the Native village of Meshik. The Port Heiden Radio Relay Station site was established on 172.04 acres within the existing Fort Morrow site. Contract covered the removal of approximately 285 Quonset huts, 165 wood and metal structures, 20,000 drums, 3 collapsed steel frame towers, 4 antennas, 13 vehicles, miscellaneous old machinery, 200 drums of hazardous material, 4 communication scatter billboard antennas, 4 feedhorns, a below-ground water storage tank, 2 below-ground fuel storage tanks 20,000 gallons each, a septic tank, telephone poles, and other miscellaneous debris. Modifications to contract added the removal of asbestos associated with hot water line, a tank, stove collars, file cabinet parts, wallboard, generator exhaust stacks. Additionally, the removal of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) capacitors and PCB contaminated soil and the thermal remediation of petroleum, oil and lubricant (POL) soil were also included as modifications. Two landfill sites used at the Port Heiden project site were issued waste disposal permits from the ADEC. Landfill site "A" (AOC07) is located at T37S, R59W, SE & SW 1/4, NW 1/4 of Sec 15, Seward Meridian and it was issuted permit# 8721-BA012. Site B located at T37S, R59W, SW 1/4 NW 1/4 of Sec 26, Seward Meridian, was issued permit # 8721-BA013. Landfill Site "B" (AOC08) contains crushed barrels, abandoned vehicles (oil WAS drained prior to disposal), and general debris from case #22 work, including a Cowin Hut, and the removal and disposal of approximately 400 drums. Wooden structures and debris were stockpiled and burned and the ash residue placed in the landfills. Approximately 525 cubic yards of POL contaminated soil was placed over the landfill pit area of Landfill "B" prior to application of the final cover and grading. Louis Howard
3/13/1996 Update or Other Action PA/SI received. AOC08 (Landfill B) Landfill B is located about 1/2 mile south of the airport Landfill B was filled with non-toxic demoliuon debris from the RRS, POL tanks, FAA site, and the Fort Morrow area. ADEC issued solid waste disposal permit 87211-BA013 for Landfill B. Landfill B is approximately ½ mile south of the west end of the runway POL-impacted soil. with less than 5,000 mg/kg TPH, and with PCB concentraUons less than 10 mg/kg were placed in 6-mch lifts within the landfill cap. The landfill was seeded after the cap was in place Field activmes during the 1995 SI included the visual inspection of Landfill B to determine the status of the landfill cap The cap appeared to be intact and well vegetated, with no apparent erosion. The landfill is well vegetated and there Is no evidence of breaches to the cap The landfill contains various scrap metal and other debris from Port Helden. It is recommended that a landfill closure report be filed with ADEC. Louis Howard
12/29/1997 Update or Other Action Management Action Plan DACA85-95-D-0010, D.O. No. 16 is intended to be a strategic document integrating the Environmental Restoration Program {ERP) into a series of response actions necessary to protect human health and the environment. Due to the dynamics inherent in the strategic planning process, the MAP represents a "snapshot" in time, requiring periodic updating to remain useful. This MAP does the following: • Describes the environmental response objectives, the MAP purpose, and a brief history of the installation (Chapter 1), Identifies all known contaminated sites; environmental condition of property; real property, off-base facilities and properties; and non-Air Force tenants (Chapter 2); Summarizes the status of the Installation Restoration Program (IRP) and regulatory agreements (if applicable); IRP Sites; Areas of Concern (AOCs); and community relations program Chapter 3); Describes the installation-wide strategy for environmental restoration through the definition of zones (including current scope of removal and remedial activities associated with, or to be completed for, each), and contracting and hiring strategy (Chapter 4), and • Provides a Master Schedule of planned and anticipated activities to be performed throughout the duration of the ERP(Chapter 5). All areas at the Port Heiden RRS have been assigned to one of seven environmental condition of property categories based on site characterization and remediation efforts to date. AOC07:Category 4. Areas where storage, release, or disposal of hazardous substances or petroleum products has occurred, and all RAs necessary to protect human health and the envtronment have been taken. The results of previous PA/SI activities and response actions indicate that the former Composite Building Area (except for the northeast corner), Landfill A (AOC07), and Landfill B (AOC08) are in this category. Louis Howard
11/2/1999 Site Added to Database Demolition debris, POL and scrap metal. Gretchen Pikul
1/30/2001 Update or Other Action Final Site Investigation, Port Heiden RRS, Alaska (dated July 2000) – no draft version was received for ADEC review prior to the final version being submitted – this investigation was performed to update the relative risk evaluation for select sites at Port Heiden and Driftwood Bay RRS, however, a rock slide blocked access to 2 of the sites at Driftwood Bay and therefore the investigation was not conducted at 2 of the selected sites – pending funding, the samples may be collected this field season Gretchen Pikul
5/10/2004 Update or Other Action Michael J. Walsh Colonel, Corps Of Engineers, Chief of Staff issues Engineering Regulation No. 200-3-1. It is the policy of the USACE that the policies contained in this ER are the overarching USACE policy for management & execution of the FUDS program & takes precedence over previous USACE FUDS program policy & guidance. The USACE MUST comply with the DERP statute (10 USC 2701 et seq.), CERCLA, 42 USC § 9601 et seq., Executive Orders (EOs) 12580 & 13016, NCP, & all applicable DoD (e.g., DoD Management Guidance for the DERP [28 September 2001]) & Army policies in managing & executing the FUDS program. Because of the linkages between the DERP & CERCLA & the delegation of certain Presidential authorities under CERCLA to DoD, CERCLA is DoD's preferred framework for environmental restoration. Where a regulatory agency seeks to use another framework, USACE Districts shall: Seek formal approval of the decision to follow a framework other than CERCLA. Ensure that the actions undertaken also comply with all applicable CERCLA requirements, especially in the areas of the content of decision documents & the maintenance of an Administrative Record. Consistent with the statutory program goals of the DERP, DoD has established 3 program categories to classify activities at FUDS properties & projects: installation restoration program, military munitions response program, & building demolition/debris removal program. 1) Installation Restoration (IR) Program. For the FUDS, the IR program includes the Hazardous, Toxic, & Radioactive Waste (HTRW) & Containerized HTRW (CON/HTRW) project categories. IR program category is defined as the conduct of response actions (i.e., the identification, investigation, & remedial actions, or a combination of removal & remedial actions) to address releases of: Hazardous substances or pollutants & contaminants (as defined in the CERCLA). Petroleum, oil, or lubricants (POL). Under the DoD Management Guidance for the DERP, funding appropriated to the Environmental Restoration (ER)-FUDS account may be used to remediate releases of petroleum where the release poses an imminent & substantial endangerment to the public health or welfare or to the environment [10 USC 2701(b)(2)]. DoD-unique materials. Hazardous wastes or hazardous waste constituents. Low-level radioactive materials or low-level radioactive wastes. Explosive compounds released to soil, surface water, sediments, or groundwater as a result of ammunition or explosives production or manufacturing at ammunition plants. 2) Miltary Munitions Response Program (MMRP). The MMRP category is defined as response actions (i.e., the identification, investigation, & remedial actions, or a combination of removal & remedial actions) to address Munitions & Explosives of Concern (MEC) or Munitions Constituents (MC). This includes the removal of foreign military munitions if it is incidental to the response addressing DoD military munitions at a FUDS property. 3) Building Demolition & Debris Removal (BD/DR) Program. This program category is defined as the demolition & removal of unsafe buildings & structures at FUDS properties that were owned by, leased to, or otherwise possessed by the United States & under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Defense & transferred to state, local governments, or Native Corporations of Alaska. FUDS Project Definition. Within this Program, USACE has defined a FUDS Project as a unique name given to an area of an eligible FUDS property containing one or more releases or threatened releases of a similar response nature, treated as a discrete entity or consolidated grouping for response purposes. This may include buildings, structures, impoundments, landfills, storage containers, or other areas where hazardous substance are or have come to be located, including FUDS eligible unsafe buildings or debris. Response actions at FUDS projects fall under the Installation Restoration (HTRW & CON/HTRW), Military Munitions Response Program (MEC & MC), or Building Demolition/Debris Removal (BD/DR) program categories. An eligible FUDS property MAY have more than one project. The DoD Goals for the DERP, established for the FUDS program in the DoD Financial Management Regulation (FMR), require USACE to develop an execution strategy that includes the following. Reducing risk to human health & the environment through implementation of effective, legally compliant, & cost-effective response actions. Having final remedies in place & completing response actions. Requiring certain percentages of FUDS projects in the program to progress to specific stages of the response process by specific dates (i.e., milestones). The objective of the BD/DR program is to protect human health & safety by demolishing & removing unsafe buildings, structures, & debris resulting from past DoD operations. Louis Howard
5/3/2005 Update or Other Action File number issued 2637.38.002.04 Aggie Blandford
4/3/2006 Conditional Closure Approved Pursuant to 18 AAC 60.490, the US Army Corp of Engineers, hereby notices all potential purchasers of this property that the property located at [legal description] Chignik (D-2) Quadrangle, SW ¼ of the NW ¼ of the SW ¼ of Section 26 in Township 37 South, Range 59 West of the Seward Meridian and situated in Kvichak, Alaska recording district(s) was used as a monofill, as defined in 18 AAC 60.990. The type of waste(s) placed in the monofill was: Construction and Demolition debris. The geographical boundaries of the waste management areas were as follows: Located within the boundaries of NAD83 GPS coordinates: N56° 56’ 52.3”, W158° 37’ 49.1” and N56° 56’ 53”, W158° 37’ 50.6” and N56° 56’ 53.9”, W158° 37’ 51.1” and N56° 56’ 54.1”, W158° 37’ 48.6” Devices, such as final covers, cap, or other structures, which were installed as part of the closure, were: Final cover includes earth cap with vegetation. John Halverson
4/3/2006 Institutional Control Record Established As a landfill (construction and demolition debris monofill) with an earth cap and vegetation, the restriction to the site is not to disturb the cap and maintain vegetation on the cap to prevent erosion of the cap. Restrictions on excavation and digging in this area shall remain as long as the landfill remains at the site. John Halverson
4/5/2010 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 71162 name: auto-generated pm edit Port Heiden RRS AOC08 Landfill B Louis Howard
10/17/2023 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC reviewed the Draft Preliminary Assessment Report for Aqueous Film-Forming Foam Areas Port Heiden Radio Relay Station, Alaska, Dated October 2023. The preliminary assessment describes the document search and interviews to identify the potential presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) associated with aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) at the Port Heiden Radio Relay Station, Alaska. No evidence of AFFF use at the site was encountered. The assessment recommended no further remedial action planned for the site. Ginna Quesada

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
TPH Other Soil

Control Type

Type Details
Notice of Environmental Contamination After closure of the monofill, the US ARMY CORPS shall record a notation on the deed to the property, or some other instrument that is routinely examined during a title search. The CORPS shall provide written notification to ADEC and the landowner that the notation has been recorded. The notation on the deed or other instrument will remain in perpetuity for any potential purchaser or leaseholder of the property

Requirements

Description Details
Maintenance / Inspection Of Engineering Controls As a landfill (construction and demolition debris monofill) with an earth cap and vegetation, the restriction to the site is not to disturb the cap and maintain vegetation on the cap to prevent erosion of the cap. Restrictions on excavation and digging in this area shall remain as long as the landfill remains at the site. Conduct visual monitoring, for settlement and erosion, for at least 60 consecutive months immediately following the closure.

No associated sites were found.

Missing Location Data

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