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Site Report: Galena AFS/Airport - SS007 Perimeter Dike Drums

Site Name: Galena AFS/Airport - SS007 Perimeter Dike Drums
Address: Surrounding Vicinity, Galena, AK 99741
File Number: 860.38.013
Hazard ID: 564
Status: Active
Staff: Jamie McKellar, 9074515175 jamie.mckellar@alaska.gov
Latitude: 64.734030
Longitude: -156.949722
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

The Galena AFS flood control dike was constructed over a base of drums, some of which are suspected to contain product. Over time the seasonal high water of the Yukon River has distributed thousands of drums throughout the woods to the north and west of the airport. Most of the drums were rusted and empty when recovered, although some contained asphalt, petroleum contaminated soil, and other residual wastes. Air Force Installation Restoration Program Site SS007. The Perimeter Drum Storage Area consisted of two mains areas, the flood control dike, and the undeveloped area north and west of the airport. Prior to recovery, drums littered the surface of the woods, creating navigation hazards, as well as the possibility of leaking product into the soil. The site was assigned a HIGH overall risk on the Air Force Relative Risk Evaluation Worksheet dated 9/13/95. Site SS007 covers a large area of the Perimeter Dike Road. A Drum removal action was completed in 2001 and 2002 for the Galena FOL under this Site designation. Drums were collected over a large area, from the banks of the Yukon river, sloughs, lakes, and acccumulation areas near Galena. There were some areas (e.g. west of Dike) where drums were collected without any confirmation sampling of the underlying soil. Drum accumulations may still be discovered and contamination associated with the drums may be identified in ongoing investigations at Galena. ---2013 Update--- The site GIS location was updated to the Drum Crushing Area on 1\3\2005. The Drum Crushing Area was entered into the data base as a separate site OT099 on 6/13/2012. The site was investigated in 2005 and 2008. Site characterization was completed in 2010 and a contaminated soil removal action was completed in 2011. A Cleanup Complete determination was made for the Drum Crushing Area, Site OT099 on 8/17/2012. A geotechnical project to evaluate the perimeter road levee conditions was initiated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after the spring flood of 2013. The project encountered a strong diesel odor at a location 10 feet below ground surface on the south levee in a boring at the crest of the levee. This area will need to be investigated further.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
9/13/1995 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = RI - Remedial Investigation). Action date used is the date of the Air Force Relative Risk Evaluation Worksheet, which indicates the site is in the RI phase. Former Staff
2/21/1997 Site Added to Database Site added by Shannon and Wilson. See also Reckey 198831X127201. S&W
5/1/1999 Cleanup Plan Approved Drum Removal Actions work plan approved of wood tar barrels east of base and north of runway Patrice Buck
3/8/2001 Record of Decision ADEC signed a Decision Document and sent it to the AF for their signature. The Decision Document is for a drum removal project that will remove drums that are down river from Galena. Work is scheduled to for this summer. Staff attended a Public Meeting in Galena on February 22nd, sponsored by Yukaana’ Development Corporation, the local contractor who conducted the drum investigation in September 2000. The meeting summarized the results of the investigation and asked for input from the community. Community members described locations of drums they had encountered in the surrounding woods. The survey estimated 700 drums are in the area of this cleanup. This will be the final drum removal action for the Air Force, there have been over 50,000 drums recovered since 1988. Patrice Buck
1/29/2003 Update or Other Action Drum Removal Actions have been completed. Ann Farris
9/17/2003 Update or Other Action Staff received the Draft Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Work Plan for Galena Airport. Staff has begun review of the document. A comment resolution/technical project team meeting is scheduled October 2-3rd in Anchorage. This work plan is intended to address the many outstanding site characterization issues that were raised by Louden Tribal Council, the Environmental Protection Agency, and ADEC as well as the Remedial Process Optimization Evaluation completed in 2002. Ann Farris
8/30/2004 Meeting or Teleconference Held 11th Galena Technical Project Team in Anchorage. See the "Galena AFS - Sitewide" listing for more details. Colin Craven
10/21/2004 Meeting or Teleconference Held Galena RAB meeting. See the "Galena AFS - Sitewide" listing for more details. Colin Craven
11/5/2004 Meeting or Teleconference Held 12th Galena Technical Project Team in Anchorage. See the "Galena AFS - Sitewide" listing for more details. Colin Craven
11/19/2004 Meeting or Teleconference Held Attended a week long meeting in San Antonio, Texas to participate in the formulation of an outline for the Galena Airport and Campion Air Station Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS). Colin Craven
1/3/2005 GIS Position Updated Location updated for the Perimeter Dike Drums site. The location is that of the drum crushing and treament area since the drums were scattered for miles away from the Galena Airport. Colin Craven
5/3/2005 Update or Other Action DEC reviewed and commented on a draft site assessment work plan for a parcel of land leased from the Department of Transportation. The parcel was used for waste handling, drum cleaning and crushing during the recovery of drums for this IRP Site. DEC agreed with the sampling and field screening approach via a fixed grid, but requested additional analyses on the analytical laboratory samples and clarification on a few contradictory statements in the work plan. The Air Force agreed to all comments and the sampling effort is scheduled for May or June 2005. Colin Craven
10/12/2005 Meeting or Teleconference Held Galena RAB meeting. See the "Galena AFS - Sitewide" listing for more details. Colin Craven
2/13/2006 Update or Other Action ADEC was shown the draft closure sampling report for the former drum crushing area gravel pad. A few errors were noted in the report that need correction before a reviewed can be performed. Colin Craven
9/7/2006 Site Characterization Report Approved ADEC approved a site investigation report for the gravel pad formerly used for drum crushing and associated waste management (Lot EE). The report documents diesel and residual range organics above Method 2 cleanup levels on the pad surface. While the report asserts that incidental use of the pad by others resulted in the abundant surface staining, the Air Force has accepted responsibility for the contamination. Because it is the goal of the Air Force to end the lease on the pad, ADEC recommended that the Air Force coordinate with the land owner, remove obviously contaminated soil, and perform another round of soil sampling to meet terms within the lease agreement. Colin Craven
8/30/2013 Update or Other Action A geotechnical project to evaluate the perimeter road levee conditions was initiated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after the spring flood of 2013. The project contractor Golder Associates encountered a strong diesel odor at a location 10 feet below ground surface on the south levee in a boring at the crest of the levee. Dennis Shepard
10/26/2016 Meeting or Teleconference Held A restoration Advisory board meeting was held in Galena Alaska to discuss the general and specific status of site investigations and cleanup at Galena. Dennis Shepard
8/8/2018 Site Visit DEC conducted a site visit at the Former Forward Operating Location in Galena, AK on August 8-9, 2018. A photo log is available in DEC's electronic file. Jamie McKellar
10/29/2018 Site Visit On October 23, 2018, DEC participated in the Technical Project Team (TPT) meeting with representatives from USAF and ADOT&PF. A site visit with inspections of each site was conducted the following day (10/24/2018) in Galena, as well as a regional advisory board (RAB) meeting with members of the community and other interested parties. Jamie McKellar
4/5/2019 Site Visit On April 2, 2019, DEC staff participated in a Technical Project Team meeting with representatives from USAF, Parsons, CH2M, and ADOT. The TPT meeting was held at the Fairbanks DEC office. On April 3-4, 2019, DEC staff traveled to Galena to participate in meetings with the City Mayor & RAB chair to discuss community concerns about site cleanup; a Proposed Plan meeting for Site DP023, and a community regional advisory board (RAB) meeting to discuss fieldwork completed during the 2018 field season and upcoming 2019 fieldwork. Site visits were also conducted. Jamie McKellar
10/23/2019 Meeting or Teleconference Held On October 22, 2019, DEC participated in the Technical Project Team (TPT) meeting with representatives from USAF and ADOT&PF. A site visit was conducted the following day (10/23/2019) in Galena, as well as a regional advisory board (RAB) meeting with members of the community and other interested parties. Jamie McKellar
11/15/2023 Site Visit DEC, DOT, USAF, and contractors met at the Fairbanks DEC office on May 2, 2023 for a Technical Project Team meeting. The following day a site visit and Regional Advisory Board (RAB) meeting were held in Galena. Meeting minutes for the TPT and RAB meetings were approved on November 15, 2023. Jamie McKellar

Contaminant Information

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State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

P.O. Box 111800
Juneau, AK 99811-1800
Phone: 907-465-5066
Fax: 907-465-5245
TDD: 800-770-8973
Physical Location: 410 Willoughby