Skip to content Skip to content

Site Report: Chumley's Urethane

Site Name: Chumley's Urethane
Address: 35840 Sterling Highway, Sterling, AK 99672
File Number: 2334.38.003
Hazard ID: 453
Status: Cleanup Complete
Staff: No Longer Assigned, 9074655229 dec.icunit@alaska.gov
Latitude: 60.537778
Longitude: -150.819444
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

Fuel saturated soil noted 9/7/88 at facility, 25' diameter area around fuel filling spigot in gavelly/sandy soil. Spill covered with soil. (later it was determined that the soil was excavated and clean fill was used to restore grade). Further investigation needed to determine extent, amount. Reported by Paul Horwath, EE KDO, 9/9/88. Site visited by Don Seagren on 9/9/88. Owner not around. Left reporting requirements with secretary. Instructed them to call if there were any questions. Update 2009 and 2010: Chumley's Urethane verified they had an underground storage tank for fueling, as mentioned in the file and the March 2004 letter from ADEC. Spills of approximately 20 gallons each occurred on or about September 7, 1988 at the former UST and June 15, 1989, from an overfill at the aboveground tank that replaced the UST. Contaminated soils were excavated and temporarily stored at the Midway Road Pit (also referred to as Entrada Drive or McCall Pit - Mr. Hugh Chumley said it was the Midway Pit during a verification call 4-28-10). The stockpile was moved to a storage cell constructed at the equipment yard of Chumley's Inc. office near the site of the former UST in 1991. Mr. Chumley was unable to recall exactly when the AST was removed but stated that they have been using a fueling truck rather than a tank for quite a few years. He was unable to provide ADEC with documentation on the transport and remediation of the stockpiled soil to Bio-Fac in Nikiski, on June 20, 1994, but he has stated the facts to the best of his memory in a letter dated 12-16-2009 (see letter in file and action dated 12-30-09). Bio-Fac is no longer operating and Chumley's Inc. had purged their files, so records were unavailable. Mr. Chumley is still the landowner, but has sold the urethane business to John Vargo.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
10/6/1988 Notice of Violation Letter sent that discharge to land and failure of notification in violation of state law. Need spill report within 15 days of spill or 15 days after cleanup. Former Staff
9/10/1990 Interim Removal Action Approved (Old R:Base Action Code = REM - Removal / Excavation). Received final report: contamination was dug up and then put in Midway Dr. Pit. Former Staff
1/1/1992 Site Added to Database Former Staff
6/15/1995 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Initial ranking. Action code added because it wasn't when the site was originally ranked. Paul Horwath
2/13/2004 Update or Other Action File number assigned and entered into the Fileroom DB and CS DB. Alyce Hughey
3/21/2004 Update or Other Action Reviewed file. Sent letter requesting soil analytical data in original spill location for site closure. Donald Seagren
8/12/2005 GIS Position Updated Using address in file, in conjunction with TopoZone Pro and KPB Parcel Lookup, entered the coordinates for this site. Metadata includes No Topo Basemap, TopoZone Pro Street Map, Black and White Aerial Photo, on a Medium Size Map, View Scale 1:10,000, Coordinate Datum NAD83. High degree of confidence in accuracy of location. Alyce Hughey
3/4/2008 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed. Paul Horwath
6/3/2009 Update or Other Action File transferred from Soldotna to Anchorage 6-3-09. Project Manager changed from Paul Horwath to Linda Nuechterlein. Alyce Hughey
10/12/2009 Update or Other Action Reviewed file. Northern Test Lab had sent soil samples to Chemical & Geological Laboratory for EPA 8100 Hydrocarbons [Extractable Petroleum Hydrocarbons (EPH)] analysis on November 7, 1991. Four soil samples were taken at the McCall Pit (Mr. Chumley said it was actually the Midway Road Pit) location and three soil samples were taken at the stockpile & equipment yard at Chumley's Urethane main office. EPH at the McCall Pit ranged from ND to 38.7 ppm and from 285 ppm to 789 ppm at the stockpile in the equipment yard near the office. EPH is equivalent to DRO. The report did not specify the depth of the two stockpiles or the depth that the samples were collected. Pam Clemens
10/30/2009 Update or Other Action Requested LC for this site. I will send out another letter requesting soil analytical data and status of site for possible closure - to follow-up on the action dated 3/21/04. Pam Clemens
11/2/2009 Update or Other Action Drafted a letter requesting the transport and disposal verification for the stockpiled soils. A workplan had been submitted in June 1994, by Northern Test Lab, requesting approval to transport the soil to Bio-Fac at 26.5 mile Spur Highway. Also followed up on the letter written in 2004 from the ADEC Soldotna office that requested confirmation samples be taken from the original UST excavation sidewalls and bottom. Pam Clemens
11/13/2009 Update or Other Action Spoke with Barbara Blakely with Chumley's Urethane, there is some confusion about the fuel tank and whether or not it was an undergound storage tank or an aboveground storage tank. I am sending her information from the file electronically to chumley@acsalaska.net. She will be out of the office from November 18th until the first week of December 2009 and we planned to discuss this site further when she returns. Mr. Chumley is trying to gather information on the transport and remediation of the stockpiled soil. Pam Clemens
12/15/2009 Update or Other Action Mr. Chumley is working on a letter to respond to my information request letter, sent out from the Anchorage office, on 11/06/09. Pam Clemens
12/30/2009 Update or Other Action Received a response letter, dated 12-16-09, from Hugh Chumley. He states that: “1. The material was transported and treated according to the work plan submitted by Northern Test Lab (June 20, 1994) using Chumley’s equipment and personnel. 2. The excavated site was filled with clean material and is today a parking lot. 3. Bio-Fac owner, Ray Adamson passed away seven years ago. His records are unavailable. 4. Chumley’s Urethane has been sold and re-sold. 5. Chumley’s Inc. old records were purged a few years ago and we have no documentation regarding the spill.” Pam Clemens
5/21/2010 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM corrected for source area id: 71432 name: Diesel Fuel Release Pam Clemens
5/21/2010 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 71432 Diesel Fuel Release. Pam Clemens
5/27/2010 Cleanup Complete Determination Issued Based on information provided to date, it has been determined that the contaminant concentrations remaining on site do not pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment, and this site will be closed. Pam Clemens
5/27/2010 Institutional Control Record Removed Institutional Controls have been removed. Pam Clemens
8/7/2015 Update or Other Action This file has been archived at Alaska Archives Barcode 896984 Box 418 Susan Carberry

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments
DRO Between Method 2 Migration to Groundwater and Human Health/Ingestion/Inhalation Soil

Control Type

Type Details
No ICs Required

Requirements

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

No associated sites were found.

Missing Location Data

Because the GIS location data for this site has not been entered, we cannot direct you to its position on the map. Click "Continue" to proceed to the Contaminated Sites Web Map or "Close" to return to the site report.
Continue     Close