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Site Report: Elim School

Site Name: Elim School
Address: Aniquiin School, Elim, AK 99739
File Number: 600.38.001
Hazard ID: 3828
Status: Cleanup Complete - Institutional Controls
Staff: IC Unit, 9074655229 dec.icunit@alaska.gov
Latitude: 64.616070
Longitude: -162.263670
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

Diesel-contaminated soil was encountered while preparing the foundation for the new high school in Elim. 3,000 cubic yards of bedrock and soil were removed but up to 12,000 ppm DRO still remained in a small part of the excavation. Further excavation was not possible below 15 feet. Contamination was in fissures in the bedrock. A liner was placed over the soil beneath the new building and secondary air handling under the building was incorporated in the design incase vapors should breach the liner. the contaminated soil was placed on a liner in a gravel pit and awaits remediation.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
7/15/2001 Site Characterization Report Approved Jeff Conn
8/31/2001 Update or Other Action Letter of State Interest Sent to John Davis of Bering Straits School District. Jeff Conn
2/10/2002 Update or Other Action Letter received from AVEC noting that Denali Commission has approved funding for tank farm upgrade in Elim. Mike Jaynes
4/10/2002 Update or Other Action John Torpy of Bristol Environmental complained about liner being torn on soil stockpile. Jeff Conn
4/11/2002 Site Added to Database Diesel contamination. Jeff Conn
4/12/2002 Update or Other Action Sent letter to John Davis requiring that liner be placed on stockpile and plan for remediating soil be developed by 6/1/0.2 Jeff Conn
5/28/2002 Update or Other Action Letter from Bob Dickens to ADEC received discussing possible plans for TAPL funded remediation of soils during Denali Commission tank farm upgrades. Mike Jaynes
6/19/2002 Update or Other Action Note: complaint letter received about stockpile from school being placed w/o permission on Elim Native Corporation land. Stockpile may be leaching contamination into nearby stream. Apparent location in gravel pit about 5 miles out of town. Mike Jaynes
2/5/2004 Update or Other Action Site may have potential for CIP funds to remediate soil pile. Contacted school principal (Mr. Eide) who will find appropriate school contacts and facts then call me back. Mike Jaynes
2/6/2004 Update or Other Action Elim principal referred me to Rick Reid at BSSD main office. Rick will let me work with Bob Dickens at BSSD on coordinating this. Rick believes the soil pile is about 600 cubic yards. I proposed that we would landspread or use a biocell to remediate soils, then use treated soils as landfill cover. Emailed Rick my contact information. Mike Jaynes
2/10/2004 Update or Other Action Email inquiry sent to Bob Dickens at BSSD to gather information for CIP RFP for this site. Mike Jaynes
4/12/2004 Update or Other Action Call to John Davis, Superintendent Bering Strait School District. Soil is still there, covered and stockpiled. DICKENS, Bob facilities person is the contact, 624-4249. Samples taken when it was stockpiled but nothing since. Contact Eddy Packie of Travis Petterson 455-7225 took samples (Osborne Construction). Spot where the soil is is 3-4 miles out of town towards Mosse's Point on Elim Native Corp. Land, Contact Luther Nagaruk, City Manager 890-3441or Pres. Elim Native Corp. Joe Murray. David Pikul
4/13/2004 Update or Other Action Call Anchorage office Travis Petterson - 522-4337 - Per Kendra (Fairbanks)/ - talked with Jim Durkin in Anchorage and he will check it out and call me back with soil data. Call to Luther - Village went up and spread it out (to 1-2 feet thick) 2 years ago for the school district and covered the soil with clear plastic (twice). D8K, D4, grader, Dump truck in the village with operators. Native corps authorized use of the land to land spread. Need to sample and rework soil. Document location and surrounding setting to ensure no migatory impacts.Call from Edie, Sub to a general contractor during excavation. PID screening 3000-4000 numbers. Sampling done side walls and bottom. DRO 500 to 1900 ppm in general. Most of the excavation rotten rock (Schist). Benzene really lower to non existent across the site. 1/3 of the material was beach gravel. Bottom liner is 10-mil visquene. Material put in a borrow pit of which bottom was bedrock, fairly competent bedrock. Run off would be contained in the pit. Down-gradient is a road and then a bluff on the ocean. 1/4 mile away down the road to the nearest creek. Addressed during redesign - Commercial vapor barrier put down in school crawl space and active ventilation system installed. No evidence of seepage along bluff under the school. HOT spots were very small along preferential flow paths. Fuel in the rock is locked in the rock. Edie estimates 2500 to 3000 cubic yards. Osborne should have most accurate estimate. Go back in aerial photos there were tanks on the school site. The site of the soil spreading is outside of the drainage pattern for the village surface water drinking water system. David Pikul
4/15/2004 Update or Other Action RFP submitted to management. David Pikul
4/20/2004 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Changed the Quantity Value from 2.1 to 4 based on the Problem Statement. Former Staff
5/7/2004 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting this day with Michael Foster and Traci Bradford regarding Elim soil land farming. SOW explained and proposal expected mid next week. David Pikul
5/18/2004 Update or Other Action Completed proposal review. Proposal approved dated 5/18/04 for $12K. David Pikul
5/18/2004 Update or Other Action NTP Approval form recieved from contracting, completed and forwarded on to managment for Elim Landfarming & Sampling project David Pikul
5/18/2004 Update or Other Action LC 14130360 established for the site. David Pikul
5/20/2004 Update or Other Action NTP # 18700022-01 was issued and signed yesterday, May 19th, for the Elim School Landfarming and Sampling project. The contractor is Michael L. Foster & Associates and the not-to-exceed amount is $12,037.79 with an end date of 6/30/04. David Pikul
6/28/2004 Update or Other Action DEC completed review of the report titled: Draft Landfarming and Sampling Activities Report Elim, Alaska dated June 25, 2004. DEC approves the report to go final with inclusion of minor comments. David Pikul
7/14/2005 Update or Other Action Funding request completed and sent for approval. David Pikul
1/30/2007 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Intitial Ranking Complete for Source Area: 74803 (Autogenerated Action)
2/2/2007 Conditional Closure Approved The Department of Environmental Conservation, Contaminated Sites Program, (ADEC) reviewed the environmental records associated with the Elim School. This site had been contaminated by the release of a hazardous substance; however, based on the information provided to date, ADEC has determined that the cleanup efforts were effective in removing the majority of the contamination and the residual contamination remaining does not pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. Bill O'Connell
2/2/2007 Institutional Control Record Established The cleanup actions conducted at the Elim School were effective in removing the majority of impacted soil. There is contamination remaining above established cleanup levels but ADEC determined there is no unacceptable risk to human health or the environment, and this site will be conditionally closed. This decision is subject to the following conditions: 1. A Notice of Residual Contamination will be recorded on the ADEC database to document cleanup efforts to date and the residual contamination remaining on site and at the landfarm area above the most stringent ADEC cleanup levels; 2. Any proposal to transport the contaminated soil off site from either the school or the landfarm requires ADEC approval in accordance with 18 AAC 75.325(i). This determination is in accordance with 18 AAC 75.380(d) and does not preclude ADEC 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. Site closure (without conditions) can be achieved when soil sampling confirms that all soil meets the most stringent ADEC cleanup levels. Bill O'Connell
9/5/2008 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Updated Ranking Complete for Source Area: 74803 (Autogenerated Action)
6/12/2012 Institutional Control Compliance Review An IC review was conducted on this site and the staff assigned was changed from Bill O'Connell to IC Unit. Evonne Reese
9/20/2018 Institutional Control Compliance Review IC compliance review performed. Scheduled to send a reminder letter in the near future. Evonne Reese
12/4/2018 Institutional Control Compliance Review An Institutional Controls verification letter was issued to the responsible party/landowner on this date. Mossy Mead

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
DRO > Human Health/Ingestion/Inhalation Soil

Control Type

Type Details
CS Database Notation And Letter To Landowner/RP

Requirements

Description Details
Advance approval required to transport soil or groundwater off-site.

No associated sites were found.

Missing Location Data

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