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Site Report: NSB Kaktovik Power Plant Tank Farm

Site Name: NSB Kaktovik Power Plant Tank Farm
Address: Near Village School, Kaktovik, AK 99747
File Number: 350.38.006
Hazard ID: 2306
Status: Active
Staff: Andrea Carlson, 9074515174 andrea.carlson@alaska.gov
Latitude: 70.126754
Longitude: -143.617103
Horizontal Datum:WGS84

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

Extensive petroleum contamination throughout the tank farm pad. Overland flow appears to have resulted in diesel fuel migrating down towards the post office building. Diesel contamination noted 2-3 feet below grade. "Site Characterization" performed by Woodward-Clyde and VRCA. Borough is preparing to better evaluate site conditions pending approval of new budget for environmental studies.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
9/17/1993 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = SA1 - Phase I Site Assessment (General)). Staff reports that North Slope Borough submitted Site Characterization document prepared by VRCA and Woodward Clyde. Cindy Thomas
3/8/1994 Site Characterization Report Approved (Old R:Base Action Code = SA1R - Phase I SA Review (CS/LUST)). Staff received and reviewed document "Site Characterization" by VRCA and Woodward Clyde. Report noted that diesel contamination is widespread throughout the gravel pad and tundra. Three fuel systems are suspect. ADEC commented that poor sample selection and limited laboratory data make any conclusions difficult to draw. Report recommends additional investigation/cleanup. ADEC concurs. Cindy Thomas
4/18/1994 Site Added to Database DRO contamination. File # 350.38.006. Ben Thomas
6/20/1994 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = RPL2 - Site Information Request Letter). Staff sent PRP-CS Database Notification Letter to RP requesting update and more environmental information concerning contaminated site. RP received letter, but no response yet. Jeff Peterson
4/19/2000 Update or Other Action Sampling and Analysis plan for waste heat/fuel line trenching approved. Renee Evans
6/27/2000 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Site characterization workplan for 4th Street Tank Farm conditionally approved. Renee Evans
7/8/2006 Update or Other Action Shannon & Wilson conducted brief site assessment for full characterization in August. Samples from surface waters showed range of 342 to 1350 ug/L DRO and non-detect to 3.9 ug/L of tolulene were reported for BTEX. All were below ADEC cleanup levels but are contaminants of concern for possible leaching and off-site migration. Shannon Oelkers
8/4/2006 Site Characterization Workplan Approved S&W submitted site characterization WP. Approved conditionally, asking them to sample sites using composite method rather than discreet to better characterize gravel pads. Shannon Oelkers
1/17/2007 Site Characterization Report Approved Report confirms that old fuel tanks removed from property. Six test pits were dug, and thirteen soil samples analyzed. Results ranged from <21.0 mg/kg to 2,730 mg/kg. Benzene was not reported, although toluene and ethylbenzene were detected at levels below ADEC cleanup levels. Results are below ADEC Arctic Zone cleanup levels but above ADEC's most stringent cleanup levels. Shannon Oelkers
1/23/2007 Institutional Control Record Established 1. An Institutional Control will be added to the ADEC Contaminated Sites Database identifying the nature and extent of contamination remaining on site. 2. In accordance with 18 AAC 75.370(b), ADEC approval must be obtained prior to removal and/or disposal of soil or groundwater from this site to an off-site location. 3. Surface water shall be visually monitored (twice per year) for any sheens that might be resulting from migration from the pad. A report shall be submitted to ADEC annually documenting the results of the visual monitoring. Shannon Oelkers
1/23/2007 Conditional Closure Approved Based on the information provided to date, ADEC has determined that the sources of contamination at the former fuel tank farm site have been minimized. It is recognized that residual soil contamination remains on site but the nature and extent of the contamination does not pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment provided site specific conditions and/or controls are attached to the property. Shannon Oelkers
2/2/2007 Update or Other Action Spoke with Kurt Lehman, North Slope Borough regarding visual inspections. He will do visual inspections of pad and drainage during his annual village inspections. He will utilize spill response equipment to boom culverts if sheen is detected. A re-evaulation of the monitoring requirement will be done by ADEC in three years. Shannon Oelkers
4/28/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Date of receipt of Kaktovik Old Power Plant and Water Tank Characterization Draft Work Plan. The scope includes site characterization such as soil sampling around the power plant and water tank site as well as waste characterization sampling to include water in the water tank, any liquid in the glycol or fuel lines, building materials such as paint etc. The plan does not include a stockpile management plan to include final disposition of stockpiled soil cuttings. Also, the plan briefly describes that monitoring wells will be installed but does not describe how they will be developed or sampled or where they will be located. Comments will be submitted and a revised plan requested. Keather McLoone
5/9/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Date of receipt of revised Draft work plan to characterize this site. Conditional approval letter sent 5/13/14. Conditions of approval were: • RRO should be added to the analytical suite for the soil boring samples. • Soil type, specifically gravel versus native soil, should be recorded for each soil sample submitted for analytical results and presented along with a comparison to both Method One and Method Two criteria. • A conceptual site model should also be submitted with the report documenting the site characterization. • ADEC understands that well locations are tentative and placement will proceed after ADEC approves final selection of location. However, it should be noted that placement should take into consideration evaluating the potential for offsite migration. Keather McLoone
6/4/2014 Update or Other Action Aqviq (consultant) informed ADEC on 5/28/14 that there was to be a change to the conditionally approved workplan in that field screening was not going to be performed for PCB and lead to determine analytical sample locations rather all samples were to be sent to the laboratory. ADEC recommended that contaminants found in soil samples collected from those borings be used for determining analytical suite of IDW/drill cuttings. On today's date, consultant communicated that finalized well locations would be communicated prior to placement so that ADEC could approve. Keather McLoone
7/14/2014 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting today with NSB representatives. Informed that both the school construction project and the associated characterization effort currently underway will now be managed by the NSB CIPM group. Keather McLoone
7/21/2014 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting with NSB and Agviq to discuss results of 2014 additional investigation available to date and path forward. Keather McLoone
9/17/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Date of letter sent to formalize conditional approval previously sent via email for letter dated September 10th regarding Groundwater and Surface Water Analytical parameters. Letter also requested that NSB notify DEC by October 15th as to their intentions regarding addressing the soil contamination and the previously requested workplan. Keather McLoone
10/6/2014 Institutional Control Update Current project manager chooses to retain management of the site at this time. Kristin Thompson
10/9/2014 Site Reopened Letter sent on this date stating the site status would be changed to active due to the pending removal of site features that previously limited remediation and investigation. Previous ICs stated that once these features were removed additional effort would be warranted. Also, additional information has become available that suggests that additional effort is warranted to address soil contamination and groundwater results indicate a potential for off-site migration. Keather McLoone
10/28/2014 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 73284 name: auto-generated pm edit Kaktovik Power Plant Tank Farm. Ranking in ETM not previously performed because ETM was new after previous Conditional Closure which is no longer in place due to pending removal of site features. Today's ranking also reflects new information that exists about the site due to an a comprehensive investigation. Additional investigation will be necessary after site features, power plant building in particular, are removed. Keather McLoone
12/12/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Receipt of report submitted by Aqviq on behalf of NSB documenting 2014 site characterization activities. May/June field notes were requested and submitted to be added to report. Comments were emailed regarding ecoscoping form. Also, field notes recommended that MW-02 may need repair due to frost jacking. Keather McLoone
12/12/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Date of receipt of an early draft workplan produced by BGES on behalf of Olgoonik and NSB. Keather McLoone
12/15/2014 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting with NSB, Olgoonik, BGES, and UIC Umiaq to discuss initial comments on the early draft workplan submitted based on a limited amount of time for review. Meeting minutes were emailed the next day and no comments were submitted other than by BGES to indicate they felt minutes had captured all the environmental topics. A very few additional comments were submitted on 12/17 and 12/22. ADEC comments include request for additional delineation of DRO hotspot and PCB hotspot as well as careful tracking of supersacked material as some can be considered characterized by recent investigations. Supersacks filled as part of piling installation are not likely to be considered characterized but also requested figures overlaying piling placement (as well as former and future structures) and areas already characterized versus areas to be characterized in 2015 winter/spring/summer's efforts leading up to construction. Keather McLoone
12/24/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Date of receipt of revised workplan. Revised figures were emailed on 12/30. Conditional approval sent on 1/14/15. Keather McLoone
1/8/2015 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting with BGES, Olgoonik and NSB to discuss latest version of draft workplan and project schedule and milestones. Keather McLoone
1/14/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Conditional approval of Revised Site Characterization and Remediation Work Plan date December 2014 received via email on December 24th, 2014. Keather McLoone
2/17/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Date of receipt via email of Kaktovik Power Plant and Water Tank Site, Remediation Work Plan. Conditional approval sent 2/23/15. Keather McLoone
2/20/2015 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting to discuss another iteration of the workplan for this year. Keather McLoone
2/20/2015 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting with NSB and NSB contractors to discuss the document entitled Kaktovik Power Plant and Water Tank Site, Remediation Work Plan dated February 2015 via email on February 17th, 2015. An updated Figure 2 was also received via email on February 20th, 2015. Keather McLoone
4/13/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Date of receipt via email of Kaktovik Power Plant and Water Tank Site, Revised Remediation Work Plan. Conditional approval letter sent on 4/16/2015. Keather McLoone
4/20/2015 Update or Other Action Email clarifying and requesting approval for approach regarding remediation plan/another such email sent on 4/23. ADEC responses sent same day. Keather McLoone
5/1/2015 Update or Other Action Revised data tables for water samples collected in 2014 based on identifying a somewhat systematic issue with some cleanup criteria missing earlier, primarily some metals, PCBs, and SVOCs. Keather McLoone
12/31/2015 Meeting or Teleconference Held Teleconference with BGES, Olgnoonik, and NSB to discuss revised workplan. Keather McLoone
3/2/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Reviewed the Draft Site Characterization and Remediation Report, dated December 2015. The objective of the 2015 work was to remove all contaminated soil beneath the proposed school gymnasium addition. Activities described in the report were conducted during the months of January, February, April, May, June, and July of 2015; and included characterization of the soils beneath the former power plant and water tank; excavation of impacted soils at five Remediation Areas (RAs) that were identified during the characterization; removal of an 80 feet long underground fuel line; and trenching for a new fuel line. A total of 26 test pits were advanced during the characterization phase of this work. Based on the analytical results from the test pit samples, five RAs were identified [RA TP11, RA TP14, RA D2RA, RA D1RA, and the Large Remediation Area (LRA)]. The LRA was located within the footprint of the proposed school gymnasium addition. Over 1,100 cubic yard of impacted soil (1,264 tons) were removed during the 2015 work. Confirmation soil samples were collected from the base and sidewalls of all RAs and trenches, and were submitted for laboratory analysis of one or more of the following: gasoline range organics (GRO), diesel range organics (DRO), residual range organics (RRO), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and ethylene glycol. Confirmation soil samples collected from RA D2RA and the LRA did not exhibit contaminant concentrations above the applicable cleanup levels. Contaminated soil remains above the Method One cleanup levels for DRO (up to 1,130 mg/kg) in the non-native sidewall soils of RA TP11, RA TP14, and RA D1RA. Contaminated soil remains above Method Two cleanup levels for xylenes (79 mg/kg) in the fuel trench. ADEC requested a work plan for further characterization of the surface and subsurface soils, and suprapermafrost groundwater by May 1, 2016. Joshua Barsis
6/8/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Reviewed the Work Plan for Monitoring Well Installation and Sampling, dated April 25, 2016 for the NSB Kaktovik Power Plant Tank Farm site. Proposed activities consist of collecting soil and water samples from borings (or test pits) to better delineate the extent of contamination at this site. Joshua Barsis
1/17/2017 Update or Other Action Letter sent to NSB on this day detailing the current status/progress of 22 active contaminated sites, including this site. Joshua Barsis
6/8/2017 Update or Other Action Several spills have occurred at this site recently (spill numbers 17399900901 and 17399902904). Spills are being address summer 2017 to excavate fresh and potentially historic contamination. Report is expected around February 2018. Joshua Barsis
11/20/2017 Update or Other Action Letter sent on this day as a follow up to the last version of this letter, dated January 17, 2017, and as a follow up to a meeting with NSB on November 17, 2017. This letter details the current status/progress of 23 active contaminated sites, including this site. Joshua Barsis
11/16/2018 Update or Other Action Letter sent on this day as a follow up to the last version of this letter, dated November 20, 2017, and at the request of the North Slope Borough (NSB). This letter details the current progress of 24 active contaminated sites, including this site. Joshua Barsis
7/8/2019 Update or Other Action Site location was updated on this date. Coordinates for this site are used to determine the presence and position of the site on BLM’s ANCSA Conveyed Land web map. Rebekah Reams
2/19/2020 Enforcement Action Notice of Violation issued to NSB on February 18, 2020. See file for more information. Joshua Barsis
2/20/2020 Update or Other Action Site history letter sent this day. Joshua Barsis
6/29/2022 Enforcement Agreement or Order A compliance order by consent (COBC) was signed by the North Slope Borough and ADEC Division of SPAR. The COBC identifies corrective actions that the NSB will take to manage cleanup waste and characterize and remediate contaminated sites and spills. Lisa Krebs-Barsis
9/20/2023 Site Visit DEC Staff A. Carlson and S. Joyce (PPR) conducted site visit in conjunction with NSB environmental representative on September 14, and 15, 2023. The site was inspected for waste and for compliance with the COBC. Andrea Carlson

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
DRO Between Method 2 Migration to Groundwater and Human Health/Ingestion/Inhalation Soil

Control Type

Type Details
CS Database Notation And Letter To Landowner/RP
CS Database Notation And Letter To Landowner/RP

Requirements

Description Details
Advance approval required to transport soil or groundwater off-site.
Surface water monitoring Visual Monitoring only

No associated sites were found.

Missing Location Data

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