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Site Report: Dutch Hbr-Warehouse WWII B 551

Site Name: Dutch Hbr-Warehouse WWII B 551
Address: East Point Road, Unalaska, AK 99685
File Number: 2542.38.024
Hazard ID: 3659
Status: Active
Staff: Sarah Bernhardt, 9072697527 sarah.bernhardt@alaska.gov
Latitude: 53.891059
Longitude: -166.537363
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

PCB contaminated soil beneath a former transformer platform that was located between the building and East Point road. EPA conducted a site inspection (SI) under CERCLA in response to information that there were elevated PCB levels in a mussel tissue sample collected from Dutch Harbor. The SI report documented low level PCBs in sediment in Dutch Harbor and higher levels in soil at the power plant and the former transformer platform at building 551. Additionally, the site contains DRO contamination in groundwater in exceedance of ADEC cleanup levels. Ongoing groundwater monitoring at the site is captured in the Pre-WWII Tank Farm annual groundwater monitoring report and Periodic Review. The remedy for petroleum contamination at this site is documented in the USACE FUDS Decision Document No. 4, Pre-WWII Tank Farm Site, Amaknak Island, Unalaska, Alaska (June 2007).

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
10/19/2000 Update or Other Action ADEC mailed letters to the City of Unalaska, Ounalashka Corp., and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers identifying each as a Potentially Responsible Party for the PCB contaminated soil at the site. The letters requested submittal of historical information and cooperation on necessary site characterization and cleanup. John Halverson
10/25/2000 Site Added to Database PCB contaminated soil. John Halverson
11/6/2000 Update or Other Action ADEC received a preliminary response from Ounalashka Corporation's attorney, Owens and Turner. It included stated that FDOC, a subsidiary of OC, owns the site and has transferred ownership of the buildings and site improvements to Delta Western. Owens and Turner requested it be the point of contact for future correspondence with OC. John Halverson
11/20/2000 Update or Other Action ADEC received a preliminary response from the Corp of Engineers stating that it is evaluating site eligibility under the formerly used defense site (FUDS) program. John Halverson
11/22/2000 Update or Other Action ADEC received a response from the City of Unalaska that contained information on prior sampling and documentation on past off-site disposal of PCB contaminated material and other hazardous materials from the power plant site. John Halverson
1/16/2001 Update or Other Action ADEC sent a letter to Ounalashka Corp. (OC) responding to and clarifying some issued raised in OC's initial response to the PRP letter. Additional information on land ownership and use is to be provided by OCs attorney. John Halverson
1/25/2001 Update or Other Action ADEC received another response from the Army Corps of Engineers. It states that the Corps will prepare a PRP Inventory Project Report, to establish a FUDS project for the site. The letter also requested ADEC provide further information to them regarding site history and use by other parties as well as notices or other reports provided to other parties. John Halverson
4/25/2002 Update or Other Action The Corps of Engineers sent a letter to DEC stating that current documentation does not show that there was a release of PCB during the Navy ownership or operation, the Corps declines to participate in characterization or cleanup. John Halverson
7/16/2002 Update or Other Action DEC sent a letter to the Ounalashka Corporation identifying it as a responsible party and requesting submittal of a site characterization plan by Sept. 15, 2002 and implementation of the plan during 2002. John Halverson
9/10/2002 Update or Other Action Owens and Turner has contacted DEC on behalf of OC and requested an extension on responding to the 7/16 letter. John Halverson
11/25/2002 Update or Other Action Owens and Turner submitted a letter for OC detailing its' position and why it does not think OC or FDOC should be responsible for the cleanup. Staff forwarded a copy to the AGO. John Halverson
12/12/2002 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Site ranked as a high priority John Halverson
6/10/2005 Update or Other Action File number issued 2542.38.024. Aggie Blandford
6/17/2008 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed. Evonne Reese
4/28/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other -The Draft Building 551 Work Plan for Characterization of PCB in Soil was received electronically from Chilkat Environmental on March 24, 2014. -ADEC reviewed work plan and comments were sent out electronically on April 24, 2014. -RTC recieved from Chilkat Environmental on April 27, 2014, and on April 28, 2014, ADEC accepted comments and requested final version. Meredith Savage
5/14/2014 Site Characterization Workplan Approved On May 7, 2014, ADEC recieved electronically the final version of Building 551/Navy Mess Hall: Workplan for Characterization of PCB in Soil; final approval for the work plan was given on May 14, 2014. The scope of work for this work plan is to conduct a site characterization of the Bldg. 551 property to determine the extent, if any, of PCB contaminated soil. Contamination is believed to have come from three WWII era transformers located between the front of the building (north side) and East Point Road. Meredith Savage
8/27/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Received electronic copy of draft report titled 'Bldg. 551: Characterization of PCB in Soil.' Meredith Savage
10/9/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC received an electronic copy of the final report titled Building 551: Characterization of PCB in Soil on October 9, 2014. This report addresses the July 2014 sampling for PCBs that was conducted in the front yard area of Bldg. 551, located in Dutch Harbor, Amaknak Island. The front yard area is covered with a shot rock layer of approximately 1.5 feet depth and is used as a parking lot. Beneath the shot rock is a layer of soil that is between one to one and one-half feet deep; below this soil layer is a cobble layer of indeterminate depth. There were 82 primary samples and eight duplicate samples taken within the soil layer and another five samples with one duplicate sample taken from fine soil particles lodged within the cobble layer. PCB concentrations above the ADEC Method Two Soil Cleanup Level of 1mg/kg were found in 38 of the soil layer samples and two of the cobble layer samples. The recommendation is to prepare a work plan for the excavation of contaminated soils at this site. Meredith Savage
3/17/2015 Update or Other Action Received a report titled Building 551: Remedial Action Work Plan; work plan concerns removal of PCB contamination from graded lot in front of Building 551 (between building and East Point Road). Meredith Savage
4/14/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) received an electronic copy of the final report titled Building 551: Remedial Action Workplan on April 14, 2015. The report details the actions necessary to remove from the Building 551 property all soils with PCB concentrations of 1 mg/kg or greater. An area of approximately 5,035 square feet will be excavated from 1 to 2.5 feet depth down to the underlying beach rock layer. The beach rock layer is comprised of 80% or greater rock and 20% or less fine soil material. There are no plans at this time to excavate into the beach rock layer because of the potential of encountering groundwater and/or a deeper layer of petroleum contamination originating from World War II era tank farms and earlier. Excavated PCB contaminated soil will be containerized and shipped to Oregon for disposal. Meredith Savage
9/21/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC received the “Pre-WW II Tank Farm FUDS Periodic Review” (regarding fuel contamination) for the Amaknak Pre-WW II Tank Farm FUDS in July 2015. The remedy to address contamination in the basement of Building 551 has not been implemented due to the presence of asbestos containing material (ACM). An alternative remedy not approved by ADEC was implemented and involved the blocking of all basement egress points to prevent human exposure. ADEC sent a letter requesting additional work on 9/21/16, including either implementing the original remedy or amending the DD, and conducting an indoor air evaluation at Building 551. Holly Weiss-Racine
11/3/2016 Update or Other Action ADEC contacted the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska for a status update on the approved PCB removal work. The tribe stated that they had applied for NALEMP funding to do the work but the application was not accepted by the USACE due to costs and the proposed phasing of the project. ADEC also contacted the USACE to request action on the site. Because the PCB release was caused by an "Act of War", the site is not FUDS eligible. USACE discussions to fund the NALEMP project are ongoing, pending available funding. Holly Weiss-Racine
4/20/2018 Update or Other Action ADEC sent out a RFA letter to ask the Corps to take the following actions at Tank Farm and B551 sites: (1) either install concrete pad as approved in Decision Document No.4, or proposed another feasible and protective remedy, or use current access blocking approach with annual inspection and maintenance; either way, an amendment of existing DD needs to be provided and approved by ADEC; a plan and schedule for implementation or DD amendment is requested by Sept. 1, 2018; (2) continue GW monitoring at the Tank Farm site to monitor the migration of POL plume, including close monitoring of benzene at well MW-12, ADEC requests a workplan by July 1, 2018; (3) develop a land management plan with the City of Unalaska to coordinate future utility or construction work in the impacted area; (4) implemented PCB remedial action plan (dated Oct. 2014)by Dec. 31, 2018. Linda (Qi) Liu
10/15/2018 Site Visit ADEC conducted a site visit on September 25, 2018. On October 15, 2018 ADEC sent out a summary Site Visit letter to USACE. ADEC requests a response by November 15, 2018. Rachael Petraeus
10/19/2018 Update or Other Action On October 19, 2018, ADEC received a response from USACE regarding Site Visit summary letter. Rachael Petraeus
10/1/2019 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC received Draft Remedial Action Operation (RA-0) Phase Groundwater Monitoring Work Plan Pre-WWII Tank Farm, Unalaska, Alaska" dated August 26, 2019. This work plan describes the project approach and methods that will be used while conducting groundwater monitoring; installing and decommissioning of groundwater monitoring wells; surveying and sampling; and addressing Building 551 crawlspace sealing activities. Rachael Petraeus
5/27/2022 Update or Other Action The City of Unalaska has received an FY2022 EPA Brownfields Community-Wide Assessment Grant. The sites identified in the application include approximately 85 stale contaminated sites, many of which have been conveyed through ANCSA. Building 551 is one of these sites. Cascade Galasso-Irish
9/19/2022 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 74634 Former tranformer platform. Cascade Galasso-Irish
12/11/2023 Meeting or Teleconference Held On this date, DEC attended a virtual meeting with the Ounalashka Corporation and the EPA ANCSA Contaminated Lands Grant project manager to discuss potential upcoming fieldwork for the Warehouse WWII Building 551 PCB contamination under the EPA ANCSA grant. Fieldwork is expected to occur in 2024. Cascade Galasso-Irish

Contaminant Information

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