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Site Report: Gustavus Tank Farm

Site Name: Gustavus Tank Farm
Address: 100 Dock Road, Gustavus, AK 99826
File Number: 1507.38.011
Hazard ID: 4368
Status: Active
Staff: Kelly Walker, 9074512166 kelly.walker@alaska.gov
Latitude: 58.393515
Longitude: -135.728391
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

With information currently available, DEC has determined that in 1943 the Department of Interior authorized the War Department to construct the airfield as well as the tank farm, pipeline, and dock in Gustavus. In 1945, the War Department transferred operations over to the Civil Aeronautics Administration; the agency later transitioned into the FAA. The Omnibus Act in 1965 facilitated the transfer of these facilities to the State of Alaska and the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) took over operations. In 1980, private operation of the bulk fuel tank farm began. Soon after, the piping system used to occasionally distribute oil under the tanks to slow down corrosion was replaced with an oil resistant liner. The liner was covered with soil to limit damage to it from sunlight. This was the soil observed by the FAA in 1992; it was later removed and remediated at an off-site treatment facility. The only confirmed petroleum release event was the purposeful spreading of oil through the subsurface piping under the tanks during the operational history by FAA and DOT between 1945 and 1980. As a result, the responsibility for the cleanup process is shared between the State and Federal governments. In 2011, a new bulk fuel storage facility was constructed just east of the former Tank Farm. In early spring 2012, the old Tank Farm was decommissioned by operator Gustavus Dray. Based on the analytical results for groundwater samples collected during the 2013 and 2014 field activities, contaminant concentrations in four of ten monitoring wells are greater than the groundwater cleanup levels. The calculated TAH and TAqH for the samples collected from in the contaminant plume approximately 350 feet from the nearest surface water body, exceeded the surface water quality criteria in 2014. Results of 2013-14 monitored natural attenuation parameters ferrous iron, nitrate, sulfate and oxidation/reduction potential are generally comparable to previous MNA data collected in 2010, 2011, and 2012, with the conditions appearing generally more conducive to aerobic biodegradation with time.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
3/23/2007 Site Added to Database Site added to the database. Mitzi Read
3/29/2007 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking completed. Mitzi Read
4/30/2008 Update or Other Action ADEC project manager changed to Wanstall; file received and inventoried. Bruce Wanstall
5/6/2008 Update or Other Action ADEC reviewed ADNR draft land conveyance of ADL 107623 to the City of Gustavus. ADEC supports the Preliminary Decision without comment. Bruce Wanstall
10/24/2008 Update or Other Action Site Characterization Workplan received in the Juneau Office this date Bruce Wanstall
12/10/2008 Update or Other Action ADEC evaluated the Gustavus Tank Farm bulk fuel terminal causeway EIS and status of the pending site assessment report. ADEC communicated with the State term environmental contractor, a City of Gustavus representative and an adjacent landowner about preliminary data from the October sampling event. Data indicate that subsurface petroleum contamination (GRO, DRO, RRO and benzene) is present in the Beach Road right-of-way in soil at an average depth of 10 feet below the surface and has impacted the groundwater. Off-site migration to the surrounding adjacent property Tracts A and B soil and groundwater is minimal. Bruce Wanstall
1/9/2009 Update or Other Action Site Characterization Report recieved in the Juneau Office this date Bruce Wanstall
1/20/2009 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC has reviewed and approves the Gustavus Tank Farm Site Characterization Report dated December 2008 by Shannon & Wilson. The data indicate that petroleum contamination of surface soil is limited to the footprint of the fenced bulk fuel tank farm site. Petroleum contamination outside the perimeter of the tank farm exists as a lens of weathered petroleum in low concentrations at the depth of the water table extending south from the tank farm beneath the road in the direction of the dock. The water table is generally 8 to 10 feet below the surface and is influenced by tidal fluctuation of marine waters rendering it non-potable. Bruce Wanstall
8/4/2009 Update or Other Action Renamed site to remove FAA designator - Site is being managed as State Lead Fred Vreeman
8/19/2010 Update or Other Action Oasis verbally reported draft results on sample data from monitoring wells at the tank farm; when compared with 2008 data results indicate that petroleum in ground water is in lower concentrations throughout with the exception of product in MW-4 that prevented sample collection during this sampling event. Bruce Wanstall
1/5/2011 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 75352 Bulk Fuel Tanks. Bruce Wanstall
7/6/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC reviewed and approved the Gustavus Old Tank Farm Sampling Report for 2010 by Oasis Environmental. The water data indicate that petroleum contamination of soil outside the perimeter of the tank farm is a lens of weathered petroleum in low concentrations at the water table with free phase petroleum in MW-4. The influence of tidal fluctuation on the water table(8 to 10 feet below the surface) depth and flow is being tracked with transducers in the water wells. Air pressure is recorded concurrently to correct for its influence. Bruce Wanstall
12/29/2011 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC reviewed and approved the Gustavus Old Tank Farm Sampling Report for 2011 by Oasis Environmental. The water data indicate that petroleum contamination of soil outside the perimeter of the tank farm is a lens of weathered petroleum in low concentrations at the water table. Free phase petroleum was measured in MW-4 bailer at 0.24 inches which was enough to prevent collecting a water sample. Oasis concluded from the data that groundwater flow directions vary with the tide and can range from south-southwest to west-northwest. Bruce Wanstall
1/13/2012 Meeting or Teleconference Held A meeting of potential responsible parties was held to develop a cost-sharing agreement for the site investigation and cleanup of the Gustavus Tank Farm contaminated site. The result is that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the State agreed to share the expense of site investigation and cleanup. The tentative agreement is for Gustavus Dray to remove the old tanks from the site in spring 2012. Following tank removal the FAA will perform limited contaminated soil removal from the tank farm footprint for off-site remediation. On an as-needed basis FAA will recover free product from the groundwater and install additional water wells to continue the site investigation initiated by the DEC. The meeting was attended by representatives from the facility operator Gustavus Dray, the City of Gustavus and the FAA; representing the State were the Departments of Law, Natural Resources, Transportation & Public Facilities and Environmental Conservation. Bruce Wanstall
3/22/2012 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 75352 Bulk Fuel Tanks. Bruce Wanstall
6/4/2012 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC recognizes recent amendments and approved, by electronic message, the Work Plan for Remedial Investigation and Remedial Action at the Former Tank Farm in Gustavus by Ahtna Engineering Inc. for the FAA. The Plan will be implemented in the second week of June 2012; FAA and DEC will be present to observe proceedings for adaptive management of the sampling, soil removal action and placement of new monitor wells. Bruce Wanstall
6/12/2012 Site Visit DEC conducted a site visit to observe and direct the sampling of soil and groundwater for laboratory tests on the soil and groundwater at the Gustavus site. Those results will likely confirm what the DEC and FAA observations and Ahtna Environmental field tests indicate which is that petroleum in the surface soil has attenuated by natural processes to levels safe enough to be left in-place beside the road. This development in the cleanup process will not alter ADOT&PF plans for future development of the right of way. Eight new monitor wells were installed in the direction of the channel and the river to improve the coverage of a layer of petroleum that is trapped in the subsurface where the water table rises and falls with the tides. Previous monitor well tests have given us every indication that petroleum in that deep layer is limited to an area not connected to the river or the channel and DEC is confident this condition has not changed. Petroleum in that soil layer will attenuate naturally just like it did in the upper layers near the surface but it will take longer due to low levels of oxygen. Bruce Wanstall
8/3/2012 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC provided comments to FAA on the Letter Report Supplemental Soil Sampling Gustavus Tank Farm Site(Report) by Ahtna Engineering Inc(AEI) documenting the results of implementing the DEC approved Work Plan, Former Tank Farm in Gustavus, Alaska, FAA dated May 2012 by AEI. The scope of the current investigation was to complete five test pits at the approximate locations of the five former aboveground storage tanks to collect discrete grab samples from each test pit at depths of 2 feet and 4 feet below ground surface for a preliminary characterization of contaminant concentrations to determine if there are any Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) waste issues that needed to be addressed. The Report included mapped locations of where AEI installed new monitor wells requested by DEC to replace a damaged well and to install additional well points to intercept groundwater flowing away from the source area into Tract A west of Dock Road. Supplemental characterization results indicate that soil in the former Tank Farm footprint is impacted with petroleum constituents, primarily DRO, and no RCRA-related wastes were noted. In addition, contaminants were detected at concentrations less than the DEC Method Two, Over 40 Inch Zone, Direct Contact, Outdoor Inhalation, and/or Ingestion pathways listed in 18 AAC 75.341 Tables B1 and B2. FAA will provide DEC with a Final Report in the next few months for comment and a long term monitoring plan for approval. Bruce Wanstall
4/16/2013 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC reviewed Draft Work Plan FAA 2013 and 2014 Groundwater Sampling at the Former Tank Farm in Gustavus (Plan) dated February 2013 completed by Ahtna Engineering (AES) for the FAA. The purpose of the AES Plan is to perform field work in May 2013 and summer season 2014. The objectives of the Plan were to examine MW-4 and recover any free product present then collect groundwater samples from the other nine monitor wells. During the 2013 mobilization MW-2, MW-4, and MW-6 will be converted from steel above-ground casings to flush-mount wells. In the event that the monitoring well is not in acceptable condition, an attempt will be made to repair the well. If it is determined that the well cannot be repaired, the well will be decommissioned according to the ADEC Monitoring Well Guidance (ADEC, 2011). DEC letter this date provided approval to FAA that the AES Plan objective, design and methodology for sampling and reporting are in accordance with Title 18 Alaska Administrative Code 75.325 - 75.360 and the field and laboratory quality assurance requirements in Contaminated Sites Program guidance documents. The Plan responds appropriately to requests made by DEC to investigate contaminated soil and groundwater associated with the historical release at the former tank farm contaminated site located in Gustavus, Alaska. In accordance with Title 18 AAC 75.335(b) the Plan is hereby approved. Bruce Wanstall
9/26/2014 Long Term Monitoring Established After a brief review of a draft report of the 2013/2014 groundwater sampling data, DEC approved, by electronic message to the FAA dated September 26, 2014, changing the schedule for future sampling to monitor groundwater contamination at the Site from annual sampling and biennial reporting to biennial sampling and reporting by the FAA. The next sampling event and report will take place in 2016. In accordance with 18 AAC 75.335(d), DEC may revert to a more frequent sampling schedule if future information indicates an increasing trend in contaminant concentrations or free product at the Site posing an unacceptable risk to human health, safety or the environment. Bruce Wanstall
1/15/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC reviewed and approved by letter dated today sent by regular and electronic mail: Report for 2013 and 2014 Groundwater Sampling Former Tank Farm FAA Station Gustavus (Report), dated October 31, 2014. Ahtna Engineering Services LLC (AES) completed the Report documenting monitor well sampling at the referenced Site for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Ahtna performed the sample collection and field measurements on May 12-14 in 2013, and on June 13-14 and June 26-27 in 2014 in accordance with the approved plan to monitor natural attenuation parameters and collect groundwater samples from the following ten existing monitoring wells. Free product was present in well MW-4, so groundwater was not sampled and a minor volume free product was recovered instead. Evaluation in 2013 and 2014 found that well MW-4 did not recharge with product during site activity. Well MW-8 is located upgradient to provide comparative groundwater conditions outside the contaminant plume. Results are generally comparable to previous MNA data collected in 2010, 2011, and 2012, with the conditions appearing generally more conducive to aerobic biodegradation with time. DEC approved changing to a biennial sampling schedule to monitor groundwater contamination reporting by the FAA. Bruce Wanstall
6/30/2016 Site Visit Site visit to inspect the water wells at the site Bruce Wanstall
7/25/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC reviewed and approves Ahtna Environmental Inc. FAA 2016 Groundwater Monitoring Former Tank Farm Gustavus (Plan), dated July, 2016. Ahtna Environmental Inc. (AEI) completed the Plan for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at the referenced Site. Bruce Wanstall
1/9/2017 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC has reviewed and approved by letter dated today, Gustavus Remedial Action Groundwater Monitoring 2016 Report at the Former Tank Farm in Gustavus, Alaska (Report), dated December, 2016. Ahtna Environmental Inc. (AEI) produced the Report for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) documenting biennial sampling in accordance with a work plan (Plan) approved by DEC letter dated July 25, 2016 for the former tank farm site (Site). Ahtna collected water samples from all ten viable monitoring wells at the Site including MW-1, MW-2, MW-3R, MW-6, MW-8, MW-10, MW-11, MW-16, MW-17, and MW-18. Samples were submitted to a laboratory for GRO, DRO, RRO, BTEX, and PAH analyses. Ahtna collected monitored natural attenuation parameters dissolved oxygen, specific conductance, pH, oxidation-reduction potential, turbidity, nitrate, ferrous iron and sulfate on each of the wells sampled. Bruce Wanstall
10/10/2017 Update or Other Action Staff assigned changed from Sally Schlichting to Erin Gleason. Kathryne Roldan
3/20/2018 Update or Other Action ADEC received work plan for biennial sampling on 2/28/2018. ADEC has reviewed and requests revisions to work plan. Letter sent to FAA on this day. Erin Gleason
4/3/2018 Meeting or Teleconference Held Teleconference held between ADEC, FAA, and Kathy Streveler of Ahtna Environmental Inc. to discuss general site conditions and bring Erin Gleason the new ADEC project manager up to speed on site. One main point of discussion was monitoring well 4. MW4 does not appear to be function normal and may have been dysfunctional as far back as 2011. Erin Gleason
4/19/2018 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Received final draft work plan on 4/16/2018. ADEC has reviewed the revised work plan and it is now approved. Erin Gleason
1/17/2019 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Received Characterization report from FAA on 12/7/2018. Groundwater samples were collected from MW1, MW2, MW3, MW4, MW8, MW10, MW11, MW16, MW17, MW18 were sampled. MW-6 was damanged and not able to be sampled. MW4 had 8 ox of free product and was not sampled. MW1 exceed table C for DRO and ROO. MW2 exceeds Table C for DRO, RRO, benzene, ethylbenzene, and naphthalene. MW2 exceeded surface water criteria TAH and TAqH. Monitoring natural attenuate parameters (MNAP) show both aerobic and anerobic conditions. ADEC has reviewed the report and requests revisions by March 1, 2019. Erin Gleason
1/25/2019 Update or Other Action Received graphs from Ahtna for groundwater concentrations. Erin Gleason
3/26/2019 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 75352 Bulk Fuel Tanks. Erin Gleason
3/31/2020 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Received work plan from FAA on3/17/2020. ADEC had reviewed the work plan and requests revisions. ADEC received revised work plan on 3/31/2020. ADEC has reviewed the work plan and it is now approved. Erin Gleason
6/28/2021 Update or Other Action 20 gallons of soil cuttings were generated during the 2021 sampling event. Cuttings have slight odor and are being tested for contaminants of concern. Once results are back, disposal will be determined. Soil cuttings are presently being stored off site at Ahtna Environmental. Erin Gleason
10/27/2021 Update or Other Action ADEC received report from FAA for 2021 groundwater sampling event on 10/18/21. ADEC will review and provide comments. Erin Gleason
12/17/2021 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Initial review completed for Gustavus Tank Farm Remedial Action Groundwater Monitoring Report for the 2021 field season. 3 new monitoring wells were installed to replace non-functioning wells. New and existing wells were sampled. Analytical results show groundwater contamination in some wells is still above Table C Groundwater Cleanup levels. Comments sent back to FAA for review. Kelly Walker
3/18/2022 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other FAA Gustavus Tank Farm Remedial Action Groundwater Monitoring Report comments addressed and DEC approves the final report. Kelly Walker

Contaminant Information

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Description Details

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