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Site Report: AT&T Alascom Unalaska Earth Station

Site Name: AT&T Alascom Unalaska Earth Station
Address: BayviewBayview Street, Mouth of Iliuliuk River, Unalaska, AK 99685
File Number: 2661.38.001
Hazard ID: 2815
Status: Active
Staff: Dawn Wilburn, 9072628200 dawn.wilburn@alaska.gov
Latitude: 53.877719
Longitude: -166.538933
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

Soil contaminated with diesel range organics (DRO) at 15,000 parts per million (ppm) and some gasoline range organics (GRO) and residual range organics (RRO) in the north corner of property. Groundwater contaminated with GRO and DRO at 61 ppm. Groundwater is influenced by tidal fluctuations making it non-potable. Phase II Site Investigation found all contamination on-site below ground surface. Possible off-site and/or on-site migration of contamination. A historical drum storage area and aboveground storage tank (AST) are on the adjacent property. Section formerly listed as 4. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) ID AKSFN1002148, Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) #F10AK0610. Additional assessment and corrective action work conducted during 2005. Contaminated soil being treated in bio-pile on-site.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
6/16/1997 Update or Other Action Corrective action plan required letter sent to AT&T. Jim Frechione
10/26/2000 Site Added to Database RRO and DRO. Former Staff
10/26/2000 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Initial Ranking. Bruce Wanstall
9/10/2002 Update or Other Action Pacificorp Site Assessment forwarded to Site Intake in Anchorage. Bruce Wanstall
10/15/2002 Update or Other Action START trip report from July 99, found no CERCLA contaminants and EPA gave site a no further action designation. Site is being addressed on the private side. Debra Caillouet
1/17/2003 Update or Other Action Spoke with the RP (PacifiCorp) regarding the site. There was a DRO spike in the most recent groundwater sampling. This will be investigated further this field season. Bob Glascott
2/18/2003 Update or Other Action Changed project manager from DB Administrator to Bob Glascott and changed site status from inactive to active. Elizabeth Stergiou
2/27/2003 Update or Other Action Spoke with RP and the property owner to the west (Alyeska Seafoods, Inc.) regarding the DRO spike. Alyeska has had no known releases or spills to date. The source of this increase in DRO is unknown and will likely require additional investigation. Bob Glascott
2/27/2003 Update or Other Action Responsible Party field changed based on new information from PacificCorp Environmental Remediation Company. Elizabeth Stergiou
6/29/2004 Site Characterization Workplan Approved PacifiCorp will dig test pits in AOC E. Soil and groundwater will be tested for GRO, DRO, BTEX. Excavations will be as near the property boundary as possible to assess potential for offsite migration. Sharon Richmond
5/31/2005 Site Number Identifier Changed Changed reckey from 2000250911001. Donald Seagren
5/31/2005 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Changed the Environmental / Recreation Area Value from 2 to 0 because the site is not located in one. AHRM Score reduced from 17.28 to 12.48. Former Staff
7/28/2005 GIS Position Updated Using Figure 1.2 and 1.3 from a Phase II Site Investigation Unalaska Earth Station, from Woodward-Clyde, dated June 2, 1997, in conjunction with TopoZone Pro, entered the coordinates for this site. Metadata include USGS Topo Map 1:63K, TopoZone Pro Street Maps, Black and White Aerial Photo, on a Medium Size Map, View Scale 1:24,000, Coordinate Datum NAD83. Medium to High degree of confidence in accuracy of location. Alyce Hughey
9/2/2005 Cleanup Plan Approved Cleanup will include excavation and on-site remediation in an engineered bio-pile. Oxygen Releasing Compund will be placed in the bottom of the excavation to assist in remediation of the groundwater. The site is on a spit with the groundwater influenced by the tide. Although it hasn't been tested (was tested in August 2012 for salinity, and no salt content detected), the groundwater is salt water influenced and not used as a DW source. The site is served by city water system. Donald Seagren
4/9/2007 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Donald Seagren
6/12/2008 Update or Other Action Site transferred from Don Seagren to Paul Horwath per Linda Nuechterlein. Alyce Hughey
5/11/2010 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting with AT&T Inc., ALTA Geosciences and ADEC staff (Paul Horwath and Alyce Hughey) to discuss the Work Plans for the 2010 field season and any project updates. Alyce Hughey
5/11/2011 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting with AT&T Inc., ALTA Geosciences, Iberdrola Renewables Holdings, Inc. and ADEC staff (Paul Horwath and Alyce Hughey) to discuss the Work Plans for the 2011 field season and any project updates. Alyce Hughey
5/18/2012 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting with Paul Horwath, Alex Tula with ALTA GeoSciences and Larry Bamberger with AT&T at the Soldotna ADEC office to discuss the current site conditions and proposed activities for 2012. Biocell is still located on site, and may use the Hydrocarbon Risk Calculator for evaluating the risk of the soils in the biocell. Discussed whether or not the groundwater is saltwater affected from the adjacent Iliuliuk Bay, and recommended that groundwater be tested to see if its ocean influenced by salt, qualifying its status as non-potable - unsuitable for a drinking water source. Alyce Hughey
5/22/2013 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Reviewed the Groundwater Monitoring Report, AT&T Unalaska Earth Station, dated March 2013, from ALTA Geosciences, Inc. Groundwater samples were collected from the three on-site monitoring wells on June 16, 2006, November 26, 2007, September 8, 2008 and August 8, 2012. MW-2 is the only groundwater monitoring well continuing to detect DRO above the groundwater cleanup levels. DRO was detected in MW-2 at 10.6 mg/L on June 16, 2006, at 7.04 mg/L on November 26, 2007, at 14.3 mg/L on September 8, 2008 and at 3.23 mg/L on August 8, 2012. Salinity was tested in the monitoring wells on August 8, 2012 with concentrations of 0.0156 to 0.02685 parts per trillion detected. Not significantly saltwater affected. The depth to groundwater on August 8, 2012 was measured at a depth of 7.02 to 10.15 feet below ground surface. Alyce Hughey
5/22/2013 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Reviewed the Soils Remediation Construction Completion Report, dated March 2013, prepared by ALTA Geosciences, Inc. On September 6 through September 13, 2005, approximately 485 cubic yards of contaminated soil was excavated from the northern corner of the site and placed within a soil treatment biocell on site. The depth of the excavation was to approximately 7.5 feet bgs at which point groundwater began to flow into the excavation. The excavation was limited on all sides by property lines, ocean side rock barrier, or structure foundations. Confirmation soil samples collected within the excavation detected DRO at 4 feet bgs in the west sidewall at 358 mg/kg, at 7.5 feet bgs in the excavation bottom at 3,670 mg/kg, north sidewall at 6 feet bgs at 9,090 mg/kg and at 5 feet bgs in the east sidewall at 28,900 mg/kg. The composite soil samples collected within the biocell detected DRO at 5,900 to 7,470 mg/kg. The blower on the biocell was set to operate twice a day for two hours each. In 2005 the blower on the biocell operated twice a day for two hours each from September 13 until late October 2005, when temperatures were consistently becoming below freezing and was shut down for the winter. The system was started again in May of 2006. Alyce Hughey
5/22/2013 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Reviewed the Bioremediation Status Report, AT&T Unalaska Earth Station Site, dated March 2013, from ALTA Geosciences, Inc. The biocell constructed in the northern part of the site in 2005 was sampled on June 16, 2006, November 26, 2007, and in September 8, 2008 to see if the DRO concentrations have been reduced following treatment. In 2006, DRO concentrations ranged from 3,820 to 11,600 mg/kg. In 2007, DRO concentrations ranged from 751 to 3,340 mg/kg. In 2008 DRO concentrations ranged from 829 to 2,190. Sample results indicate that the DRO concentrations have been reduced following the soil treatment efforts performed in 2005 through 2008. The treatment was halted in 2009 when the system would not restart due to undefined electrical problems. After several attempts to resolve the problem, the treatment equipment/system was not repaired or restarted. Alyce Hughey
5/22/2013 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 73791 AST. Alyce Hughey
6/12/2013 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 73791 AST. Paul Horwath
6/21/2013 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting with ALTA Geosciences and ADEC staff (Paul Horwath and Alyce Hughey) to discuss the current site conditions and proposed work plans for the 2013 field season. Alyce Hughey
5/6/2014 Meeting or Teleconference Held DEC staff Paul Horwath and Alyce Hughey met with Alex Tula, with ALTA Geosciences and Mark Smith, representing AT&T to discuss the upcoming 2014 field work of soil sampling the landspread soils and groundwater monitoring. Alyce Hughey
5/9/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Reviewed the Biocell Decommissioning Report, dated April 2014, prepared by ALTA Geosciences, Inc. On July 29, 2013 through August 1, 2013 the approximately 485 cubic yards of soil within the biocell were landspread on site on the southeastern and northwestern areas of the property. Following the landspreading of the biocell soils, soil samples were collected in order to obtain bench mark DRO concentrations of the landspread soils, with DRO at 900 to 2,360 mg/kg. The former location of the 400-gallon AST, located at the south corner of the site was also characterized, with DRO not being detected. Alyce Hughey
4/20/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Reviewed the 2014 Groundwater Monitoring Report, received April 15, 2016. DRO concentrations in up-gradient MW-2 continue to exceed ADEC GW cleanup levels. Source of contamination could be from offsite. Paul Horwath
4/20/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Review Alta Geosciences Bioremediation Status Report, dated July 1, 2015, received April 15, 2016, covering the 2014 sampling of soils in biocell. DRO concentrations declined ~20% from 2013 to 2014. Paul Horwath
7/17/2017 Update or Other Action Meeting with ALTA Geoscience's Alex Tula in Soldotna ADEC office, to discuss possibilities for a Cleanup Complete with ICs determination. Paul Horwath
8/4/2017 Update or Other Action Issued approval of a work plan for additional soil and groundwater sampling and analyses. Paul Horwath
3/5/2018 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Received Alta Geosciences' December 28, 2017, 2017 BIOREMEDIATION STATUS REPORT AT&T UNALASKA EARTH STATION SITE on 1/4/2018. The report comprised a soil sampling and analysis report on the soils that were treated in an onsite bioremediation cell, and then landspread across the property. ADEC sent an e-mail to Alex Tula today containing report review comments/concerns/questions, for review and response/correction. Paul Horwath
12/27/2019 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Sent response letter to RP on 12/3/2019 for the Response to ADEC Comments letter, dated July 8, 2019. Jessica Hall
2/18/2020 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC sent Comment Letter to RP regarding the review of the AT&T Alascom Unalaska Earth Station 2020 Supplemental Site Investigation Work Plan. Jessica Hall
2/21/2020 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Sent ADEC Comment Letter on AT&T Alascom Sites QAPP. Jessica Hall
4/10/2020 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Finalized and sent RP comments for the Response to ADEC Comments on AT&T Alascom Unalaska Earth Station 2020 Supplemental Site Investigation Work Plan, dated March 27, 2020. Jessica Hall
2/2/2021 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Sent RP Work Plan Approval Letter. 2021 field work to inlcudeSoils - Four test pits will be excavated. Test pits will be extended to a depth of approximately 7 feet below ground surface. Two or three soil samples will be collected from each test pit for laboratory analysis for DRO. Landspread soils - Ten soil samples (plus one field duplicate) will be collected from the land spread soils and analyzed for DRO. Groundwater - Three temporary monitoring wells will be installed. The backhoe pit will be advanced to a depth of approximately 12 feet bgs. All six monitoring wells (the three new temporary wells and the three existing monitoring wells) will be sampled (including one field duplicate). Field parameters will be monitored and all samples will be analyzed for DRO. Relative elevations of the top of casings of all monitoring wells will be determined by survey methods. Groundwater levels in all wells will be measured three times: once at time of sampling, once at high tide, and once at low tide. Jessica Hall
10/1/2021 Update or Other Action Sent RP approval for Revised Amendment to the Field Sampling/Quality Assurance Project Plan, AT&T/Alascom Sites, dated September 27, 2021. Jessica Hall
4/27/2022 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC reviewed and sent comments to the RP for the AT&T Alascom Unalaska Earth Station 2021 Supplemental Site Investigation Work Plan dated April, 2022. ADEC requested and updated report be submitted. Jessica Hall
9/8/2022 Site Characterization Report Approved ADEC sent Avangrid Renewables Holdings, Inc. an approval letter for “2021 Supplemental Site Investigation Report” dated August 2022. ADEC requested a meeting be set up to discuss path forward. Avangrid Renewables Holdings, Inc. is requesting closure of the site, however groundwater exceedances of diesel range organics (DRO) at monitoring wells MW-2, MW-4, and MW-5, still exists. ADEC also requested, an updated conceptual site model, a cumulative risk calculation; comprehensive tables illustrating the contamination for soils and groundwater (as noted in the response to comments dated 8/29/2022); & a well decommissioning plan. Jessica Hall
7/10/2023 Site Characterization Report Approved Reviewed and approved Risk Calculator and Conceptual Site Model reports. Dawn Wilburn
10/20/2023 Site Characterization Report Approved Sent RP approval for 2023 Groundwater Monitoring Report. Samples were collected from monitoring wells MW2, MW4, MW5, and MW6 in August 2023 and analyzed for diesel range organics (DRO). DRO concentrations exceeded the groundwater human health cleanup level (1.5 mg/L) in MW2 (4.4 mg/L) and MW4 (1.7 mg/L). The results for samples collected from MW5 and MW6 indicated that DRO concentrations were below the cleanup level. Additional groundwater sampling is needed in MW2, MW4, MW5, and MW6. Groundwater contamination has not been fully characterized in the southern corner of the property. Dawn Wilburn
11/2/2023 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Sent RP comments for 2023 Supplemental Site Investigation Report dated October 2023. Requested a revised report. Dawn Wilburn
12/13/2023 Site Characterization Report Approved Sent RP approval for revised 2023 Supplemental Site Investigation Report dated December 6, 2023. Landspread soil sampling from 10 primary samples showed that DRO concentrations continue to decline with a mean concentration of 305 mg/kg. Three test pits were excavated in the northern corner of the site where previous sampling revealed DRO results above migration to groundwater and human health cleanup levels. DRO concentrations from the 2023 soil samples exceeded MTG levels with a maximum concentration of 10,000 mg/kg. Installation of a drive point well was attempted southeast of MW-2. The attempts were unsuccessful due to the rocky nature of the soil. Dawn Wilburn
1/22/2024 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Sent RP comments for 2024 Soil Remediation Work Plan, dated January 2024. Requested a revised workplan. Dawn Wilburn
1/31/2024 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Sent RP comments to revised Soil Remediation Work Plan received on January 26, 2024. A revised work plan was requested. Dawn Wilburn

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments

Control Type

Type Details

Requirements

Description Details

No associated sites were found.

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