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Site Report: NSB Wainwright Old BIA Tank Farm and Day Tank

Site Name: NSB Wainwright Old BIA Tank Farm and Day Tank
Address: SE corner of Kuk Rd & Ahloaksageak Rd, Center of Town, ~100yds from Chukchi Sea, Wainwright, AK 99782
File Number: 360.38.004
Hazard ID: 4306
Status: Active
Staff: Andrea Carlson, 9074515174 andrea.carlson@alaska.gov
Latitude: 70.640194
Longitude: -160.030861
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 1993 ten 8,000-gallon fuel storage tanks that supplied arctic grade diesel and gasoline to the BIA School buildings and to the Olgoonik Presbyterian Church were cleaned, removed, and demolished. Two gravel tank farm pads remain. A site assessment done in 1993 after demolition of the tanks identified that stormwater draining from these pads was transporting contamination off site, through the village, and into the Chukchi Sea. Soil contamination was also identified corresponding to the location of the former storage tanks, fuel lines, and point-of-use day tanks. The Old BIA Tank Farm is located a few hundred feet from the Chukchi Sea Shoreline and is located in the center of the village.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
7/1/1993 Update or Other Action Site characterization in 1993 following demolition of the tanks identified contamination in the area of the former tanks - ten 8,000-gallon ASTs. Analytical samples showed DRO levels between 2,300 mg/kg and 62,000 mg/kg. Insufficient analytical samples were taken during the 1993 site assessment to characterize the site. Bill O'Connell
7/23/2003 Update or Other Action Soil samples collected this date. DRO detected up to 6,990 mg/kg, GRO up to 251 mg/kg. It was noted that contaminant concentrations were highest in the organic layer. Bill O'Connell
9/18/2006 Update or Other Action Letter sent to NSB requesting current site information, further site characterization and plans for remediation. Shannon Oelkers
9/21/2006 Site Added to Database Site added to the database. Mitzi Read
7/26/2007 Meeting or Teleconference Held ADEC staff met with NSB and their consultant to review open status village files and to propose responses to the ADEC's request for further information and characterization at this site. Bill O'Connell
7/27/2007 Update or Other Action Site transferred from Oelkers to O'Connell. Shannon Oelkers
8/29/2007 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Bill O'Connell
8/29/2007 Update or Other Action Soil samples collected this date. PID readings up to 409 ppmv however DRO was not detected in this sample. DRO detected in one of six samples at 37 mg/kg. Surface water samples had DRO at 3.96 and 5.57 mg/L. S&W concluded that contamination likely exists in distinct layers of gravel that were covered with clean fill after tank demolition. Bill O'Connell
10/24/2007 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting today with NSB and their consultant to discuss current site status. Bill O'Connell
5/6/2008 Update or Other Action Meeting with NSB and their consultant and submittal of Contaminated Sites Characterization report, which includes data from 2003 and 2007. See previous actions for sample results. Bill O'Connell
6/25/2008 Update or Other Action Site visit today. No contamination apparent at the surface. Highly weathered diesel impacted soil found at 8"-10" bgs. Bill O'Connell
3/6/2009 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 78732 name: Former BIA Tank Farm Bill O'Connell
3/6/2009 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 75285 name: Day Tank near SE corner of Old BIA School Bill O'Connell
6/24/2009 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Reviewed the Old BIA School Site Assessment conducted in September 2008. Twelve test pits were excavated at the old school. The depth of the fill was approximately 1.5 to 3 feet overlying native soil. 16 soil samples were collected from the 12 test pits based on the results of field screening with a PID. Test pits were excavated in three general areas: The former tank farm, the central area of the lot where a temporary tent will be erected, and along the south side of the old school building. Samples from test pits in the old tank farm area contained DRO up to 2,080 mg/kg at 2 feet bgs, the interval that reportedly contained the highest concentrations of contaminants. Samples from the central portion of the pad were generally free from contaminants, except the sample from test pit 6 which had DRO at 1,490 mg/kg. The highest contaminant concentrations were found in the one hand-dug test pit along the south side of the old school building where a former pipeline delivered fuel to a day tank. This sample from 0.5 feet bgs contained DRO at 17,400 mg/kg. Benzene was not detected in any of the samples. Bill O'Connell
12/8/2011 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting today with NSB to discuss site status and potential future activities at the site. The building on the property is slated for demolition in 2012. If pad is not clear, project slated for 2013. Bill O'Connell
11/14/2012 Meeting or Teleconference Held O'Connell met with NSB to discuss site status and potential future activities at the site. This site was discussed as a potential 2013 project. Keather McLoone
6/3/2013 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Reviewed work plan for Former Wainwright BIA School. Boreholes will be advanced by hand or power auger and up to 24 samples will be collected to delineate the extent of contamination. Bill O'Connell
3/3/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Date of receipt of Site Assessment Report for Wainwright BIA School property submitted by Shannon & Wilson on behalf of NSB. Former school building was demolished in 2012. Areas assessed included the BIA School Tank Farm and former Tank Farm, an ATCO Unit Fuel Tank area, and areas near the basketball court and a row of connexes. Samples were collected from up to 2 ft bgs and in these surface soil samples the horizontal extent seems to be somewhat limited but the subsurface was not sampled and some results were quite high with GRO up to 1,850 mg/kg, DRO up to 107,000 mg/kg, RRO up to 13,000 mg/kg, and xylenes up to 175.5 mg/kg. Keather McLoone
3/24/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Date of receipt of Wainwright Old BIA School Property, Site Characterization Work Plan submitted by Agviq on behalf of NSB. Work is scheduled for second half of April 2015 for soil sampling and in September for surface water and suprapermafrost groundwater sampling. The investigation is to target three areas for further delineation of previously identified areas of concern at this site, two of these areas are contiguous. A total of 97 borings are planned as well as five completed as monitoring wells and up to five surface water samples. Some borings will have 2 samples per boring and others 1, depending on the data quality objective. Analytical suite for all samples to include GRO/DRO/RRO/VOCs with 10 percent PAHs except surface water which will be sampled for VOCs and PAHs. Keather McLoone
4/16/2015 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Date of receipt of Wainwright Old BIA School Property, Site Characterization Work Plan - Final. ADEC approved the March 23, 2015 version without comment in a letter dated March 27, 2015. Keather McLoone
11/10/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Date of receipt of Wainwright Old BIA School Tank Farm, 2015 Fall ADEC Semi-Annual Report on Condition of Staged Materials. Email clarification received on 11/19/2015 that material had been moved between July 25th and August 11th. 58 supersacks and 22 fish totes constaining soil excavated following a release at the Power Plant as well as drums from Tract J are staged at this site. Keather McLoone
3/9/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Reviewed the February 26, 2016 document titled Wainwright Old BIA School Tank Farm Site Characterization Report/Corrective Action Plan – Final. The document included a site characterization report that documented the activities completed in 2015 and a corrective action plan for activities planned in 2016. 2015 SITE CHARACTERIZATION SUMMARY: Over 130 soil samples were collected from 89 soil borings that were advanced at the former tank farm and in the vicinity of the old school footprint. Five of the soil borings were completed as monitoring wells; two were placed north of the old school, two were placed south of the old school, and one was placed east of the former tank farm. One sediment sample and two surface water samples were also collected during this phase of the work. Results from the 2015 site characterization indicated that contaminated surface and subsurface soil is present and impacting groundwater, but it does not appear that the impacted soil and groundwater has impacted surface water or sediments. 2016 CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN SUMMARY: Activities proposed in the 2016 Corrective Action Plan (CAP) mainly consist of excavating roughly 1,134 cubic yards of impacted pad material. The contaminated media will be temporarily stored onsite until one of two disposal options occur; thermal treatment onsite using a soil remediation unit (SRU) or shipment of the material offsite at a designated thermal treatment facility. Either way is acceptable, but it should be documented in the CAP as one or the other, and should abide by a listed timeline. Please incorporate the above comment into a final version, as well as the comments listed below. ADEC requested a revised report/work plan by April 15, 2016 to include some additional details. Joshua Barsis
5/6/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Reviewed the document titled Wainwright Old BIA School Tank Farm Site Characterization Report/Corrective Action Plan – Final, dated April 12, 2016. This document is a revised version of the report/CAP dated February 2016. ADEC has no additional comments. Joshua Barsis
12/13/2016 Update or Other Action Reviewed the "Wainwright Old BIA School Tank Farm, 2016 Fall ADEC Semi-Annual Report Condition of Staged Materials" letter, dated December 2, 2016. A total of 58 super sacks and 22 fish totes containing contaminated soil from excavation performed at the Power Plant were relocated to a lined staging area on the east side of the Old BIA School Tank Farm. The contents of the drums were characterized and consolidated. A total of 152 55-gallon drums and 1 30-gallon drum were transferred to the staging area at the Old BIA School Tank Farm. Fifty-five (55) of these drums were placed inside 85-gallon salvage drums and 26 drums were placed inside 95-gallon salvage drums prior to the relocation. Investigation-derived waste (IDW) (soil cuttings) generated during previous site characterizations is also stored at the BIA School Tank Farm staging area in 5-gallon buckets and sand bags. In August 2016, contractor personnel conducted an inspection of the Wainwright staging area. It was documented that the containment cell was intact and of sound condition. It was observed that no materials had been added or removed from the cell by other contractors. Additional IDW (soil cuttings) was added to the area generated from soil borings and monitoring well installations at the Wainwright Washeteria. 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
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
2/19/2020 Enforcement Action Notice of Violation issued to NSB on February 18, 2020. See file for more information. 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
9/12/2023 Site Visit DEC SPAR personnel (L. Krebs-Barsis, S. Joyce) conducted a site visit with North Slope Borough (C. Trapp) for the Compliance Order by Consent. Numerous supersacks of soil, fish totes, buckets, and drums of waste were observed. None of the supersacks were tagged, some smelled of petroleum and some were ripped and leaking their contents. Petroleum sheen in surface water was observed on the site. Waste was not sufficiently contained or covered. Lisa Krebs-Barsis

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments

Control Type

Type Details

Requirements

Description Details

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