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Site Report: Ketchikan Spruce Mill

Site Name: Ketchikan Spruce Mill
Address: Mill Street, Ketchikan, AK 99901
File Number: 1516.38.014
Hazard ID: 2000
Status: Cleanup Complete
Staff: No Longer Assigned, 9074655229 dec.icunit@alaska.gov
Latitude: 55.341028
Longitude: -131.644265
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

In 1994, the City of Ketchikan and the DEC agreed upon a Remedial Action Plan by AGI Technologies (AGI) to excavate soil from an area on Lot 10A1 that was previously occupied by a vehicle repair shop. A volume estimated at 1,075 cubic yards of contaminated soil was segregated from clean soil and stockpiled between liners on-site. In January 1997, the City of Ketchikan informed the DEC by letter that contaminated soils from the former Spruce Mill property were incorporated into asphalt and used in paving projects both on the site and also at the Cambria subdivision in Ketchikan. Most soil left in place after the excavation was complete, had low levels of petroleum hydrocarbons, but one sample had the maximum concentration detected and was 8,300 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) in the gasoline range, 58,000 mg/kg in the diesel range and 110,000 mg/kg in the residual range. In March 2011, Dawson Construction began to excavate subsurface soil on Lot 10A1 to install foundation piling for a new fire station in downtown Ketchikan. The planned depth was to bedrock and the location was at the former shop adjacent to Bawden Street, in the area where contaminated soil was excavated in 1994 and confirmation sampling had reported contamination above regulatory levels. Since field screening conducted during the effort indicated low levels of petroleum contamination, DEC requested sampling be conducted on the contaminated soil stockpile before approval could be granted for unrestricted off-site disposal. In April 2011, Carson Dorn Inc (CDI) and DEC agreed upon a sampling plan to characterize the stockpiled soil. All detected constituents were in concentrations below the most conservative Method Two migration to groundwater soil cleanup levels listed in 18 AAC 75.341 Table B1 and B2. Based on these results, DEC has determined that the levels of hydrocarbons detected in the 1994 confirmatory sampling were representative of a de minimis quantity of contamination that was removed in the 2011 foundation work.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
7/28/1993 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = SA1R - Phase I SA Review (CS/LUST)). Historical activities at site range from sawmill to engine repairs. Possible sources of contamination range from heavy fuel oils to PCBs. Investigation inconclusive. Former Staff
9/22/1994 Preliminary Assessment Approved (Old R:Base Action Code = SA2R - Phase II SA Review (CS)). Test pits and sampling. TPH from 722 to 40,270ppm. Former Staff
9/26/1994 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = RAPR - Remedial Action Plan Review (CS)). Former Staff
11/1/1994 Site Added to Database Former Staff
11/1/1994 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = RARR - Remedial Action Report Review (CS)). Former Staff
12/21/1994 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = CORR - Correspondence (General)). Letter to RP regarding inadequate coverage of contaminated soil pile. Recommends heavier grade plastic or daily inspection. Former Staff
12/27/1994 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = RARR - Remedial Action Report Review (CS)). Final remedial action report. Treatment plan for excavated soil to follow. Former Staff
11/16/1995 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Initial ranking. Sally Schlichting
1/21/1997 Site Closure Approved Site Closure Approved this date. Sally Schlichting
10/2/2008 Site Reopened Lot 10A1 Bawden and Mill Street; Bawden Street was apparently built over the old vehicle shop pad. Analytical data from the 1994 soil samples collected at the limits of excavation indicate that residual soil contamination consisted of GRO, DRO, RRO in concentrations that exceed current Method Two human health based soil cleanup levels. New construction may encounter subsurface material contaminated with weathered gasoline, diesel and motor oil range hydrocarbons. Bruce Wanstall
4/15/2011 Site Characterization Workplan Approved DEC approved the Sampling and Analysis Plan and Conceptual Site Model by Carson Dorn Inc for objectives and strategies in sampling activities at the former Spruce Mill contaminated site. Bruce Wanstall
4/26/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC sent a letter approving the Soil Sampling Report to Carson Dorn Inc. Former Ketchikan Spruce Mill Property Site. The excavated material is approved for offsite disposal. Bruce Wanstall
12/6/2011 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 78619 name: Auto Repair Shop Bruce Wanstall
12/15/2011 Cleanup Complete Determination Issued Based on the information provided to date, the DEC has determined that the contaminant concentrations remaining on the property do not pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. This determination is in accordance with 18 AAC 75.380(d) and does not preclude DEC from requiring additional assessment and/or cleanup action if future information indicates that this site may pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. Bruce Wanstall
11/23/2016 Update or Other Action Administrative update: the hard file for this site could not be located in the Juneau office. Kristin Thompson

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
DRO < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil Maximum concentration was 89 mg/kg
GRO < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil maximum concentration of GRO was below instrument detection
RRO < Method 2 Most Stringent Soil maximum concentration of RRO was 430 mg/kg

Control Type

Type Details
No ICs Required

Requirements

Description Details
Advance approval required to transport soil or groundwater off-site.
Hazard ID Site Name File Number
25633 Ketchikan Spruce Mill Abandoned USTs 1516.26.033

Missing Location Data

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