Skip to content Skip to content

Site Report: Whitestone Camp and Sort Yard

Site Name: Whitestone Camp and Sort Yard
Address: Chichagof Islands, Long Island Sort Yard, Hoonah, AK 99829
File Number: 1510.38.003
Hazard ID: 589
Status: Active
Staff: Lisa Krebs-Barsis, 9072697691 lisa.krebs-barsis@alaska.gov
Latitude: 58.087472
Longitude: -135.444569
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

Oil-contaminated soils resulting from operation of logging camp. Landspreading remediation in progress (approx. 100 cubic yards). Summer 1990 - ADEC staff assisted responsible party (RP) in landspreading operation for remediation of soil. ADEC staff to monitor progress. In April of 2010, Whitestone Logging indicated to the ADEC that 100 cubic yards of contaminated soil was removed from the camp and placed in a biocell. Confirmation samples from the excavation pit indicated that COC's did not exceed ADEC cleanup levels. The biocell had not been sampled since 1999. In October 2014, the biocell was sampled and although remediation was occurring, it was not quite below cleanup levels. Remediation continues. Based on the visual observations for the R&M field inspector the cell is approximately 902’ long by 20’ wide and 18” deep.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
8/26/1993 Site Added to Database Oil contaminated soils. Former Staff
5/22/1996 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Initial ranking by Shannon and Wilson. S&W
7/9/1999 Update or Other Action Received Bayliss report on 100 cubic yards of oily material excavated from the sort yard. Originally from the camp's tank farm. Approximately 150-200 gallons spilled according to Keith Walker. Taken to the approved stockpile site in the old rock quarry about two miles away. Confirmation samples for DRO and RRO below method 2. Samples from excavated material show concentration up to 220 ppm DRO and 4400 RRO. BTEX non-detectable. The report asks for an NFA but this has not yet been approved. Bill Janes
9/7/1999 Update or Other Action Site visit of sort yard, camp, and bioremediation site this date. Need to follow-up with a letter to Keith Walker on several action items: 1. Confirmation sampling in vicinity of bulk fuel storage where spill occurred a few years ago; 2. environmental self-audit check list; 3. Biocell; 4. Sort yard soil contamination characterized by Jason Ginter. Bill Janes
9/27/1999 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Corrections made which changed ranking from a high to a medium priority. Site now appears VCP eligible. Bill Janes
10/4/1999 Update or Other Action Trip report letter sent.G:\SPAR\Spar-Contaminated Sites\SITES\Whitestone Camp and Sort Yard\Whitestone.doc. Bill Janes
3/11/2002 Update or Other Action Project tickler update - Email to Jason Ginter that we need to address the items I outlined in the 1999 letter to Walker. Suggested a site visit in the spring. Bill Janes
5/13/2004 GIS Position Updated Updated locational information using DeLorme Topo Quads. Bill Janes
5/19/2004 Site Number Identifier Changed Changed Region from 12 to 11. Former Staff
2/27/2008 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed. Bill Janes
3/2/2010 Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter DEC staff issued a letter to Keith Walker of Whitestone Logging requesting he provide an update on contaminated soil investigation, spills, and soil treatment at the facility. He was also informed of DEC's cost recovery process. Todd Blessing
4/5/2010 Update or Other Action DEC staff recieved written correspondance from Matt Walsh. Mr. Walsh informed DEC that in 1999 Whitestone logging removed approximately 100 cubic yards of contaminated soil to a biocell. Confirmation sampling from the excavation pit revealed concentrations of contaminants of concern that do not exceed regulatory criteria. To Mr. Walsh's knowledge no further testing of the soil in the biocell has been conducted since 1999. Whitestone logging has not operated on-site since 2007. Todd Blessing
4/7/2010 Update or Other Action DEC discussed the status of the site with Matt Walsh of Sealaska. DEC informed Matt that they will need to hire a qualified person to issue a site investigation work plan to our office by July 30, 2010. Todd Blessing
6/29/2011 Update or Other Action Transferred file from Todd Blessing in Anchorage to Sally Schlichting in Juneau on 6/29/2011 Bianca Reece
9/11/2013 Update or Other Action Staff changed from Erik Norberg to Denise Elston. Kristin Thompson
3/20/2014 Update or Other Action Spoke to Matt Walsh and he said that he would look for recent data (2010-) and /or reports pertaining to the bioremediation cell and get back with me. He will hire a consultant and submit workplan soon. Danielle Duncan
3/27/2014 Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter Sent PRP letter to Sealaska Timber Corp. Danielle Duncan
4/8/2014 Update or Other Action PRP letter came back to me; I had old address. Contacted Mr. Walsh for new address and re-sent letter. He plans on contacting R&M Engineering for a work plan. He also said that corporate should be contacting me. Danielle Duncan
4/14/2014 Update or Other Action Provided Matt Walsh at Sealaska information and guidance re: biocell sampling for him to pass along to his environmental consultant. I expect a workplan in the near future. Danielle Duncan
6/9/2014 Update or Other Action Spoke to Sealaska and they are hiring R&M to sample the biocell; expecting a work plan soon for work in the middle or end of July. Danielle Duncan
6/12/2014 Update or Other Action Rec'd email from R&M describing planned work for the site and he should have a work plan soon. I also requested that the alders get knocked down and the soil get stirred prior to sampling. Danielle Duncan
7/28/2014 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Approved work plan submitted by R&M which describes sampling of an approximately 100 CY biocell. R&M plans to divide the biocell into 3 parts and sample each using a PID. Samples having the greatest PID readings will be submitted for lab analysis. One soil sample will be taken from each third. They will also submit 1 duplicate and take photos. Danielle Duncan
9/8/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Rec'd biocell sampling report this date. Danielle Duncan
10/1/2014 Site Characterization Report Approved Approved biocell sampling report submitted by R&M. Results of this sampling event indicated that not all of the biocell soil had remediated, but with the addition of fertilizer and tilling, it may be possible to close the site out next summer. Danielle Duncan
10/1/2014 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 71568 Camp Bulk Fuel ASTs. Danielle Duncan
10/2/2014 Update or Other Action Correction: Whitestone Camp is not going to be able to till the biocell this year. Tilling will have to wait until next spring and so the likely final biocell sampling will occur during the summer of 2016. Danielle Duncan
3/4/2016 Update or Other Action Sent letter requesting sampling of the biocell for DRO and RRO this date. # 7014 2120 0001 4209 6632 Danielle Duncan
5/6/2016 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Approved the R&M work plan (rec'd 5/5/16) to sample the biocell this date. The biocell will be split into 3 equal parts from which 3 soil samples and 1 duplicate will be collected. The samples will be collected from locations in the cell where the photoionization meter (PID) readings are highest. The samples will be analyzed for DRO and RRO. Please report the results of the PID field screening in the final report. The plan indicates that silica gel cleanup will be used on all samples. Note that if this is done, all samples must also be run without silica gel cleanup for comparison purposes. Danielle Duncan
7/25/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Rec'd the soil sampling report for the Whitestone Camp Bioremediation pile this date. Danielle Duncan
8/12/2016 Site Characterization Report Approved The biocell was split into 3 equal parts and from each of 3 test holes, soil samples from different depths were field screened using a photoionization detector (PID). A laboratory sample from each test hole was selected corresponding to the field sample having the highest PID reading. The 3 samples and a field duplicate were submitted to SGS Laboratory for the analysis of diesel range organics (DRO) and residual range organics (RRO) with and without silica gel cleanup. The results of the analyses indicate that the biocell is approaching ADEC cleanup levels. The current maximum DRO and RRO concentrations detected are 835 and 5,470 mg/kg respectively without silica gel cleanup. R&M Engineering recommended continued tilling and fertilization of the biocell. Danielle Duncan
7/10/2017 Update or Other Action Per the responsible party: Yes, we have confirmed by a brief site visit that the biocell likely needs more time to aerate. I suggest another sample perhaps at the end of the summer, but will keep you informed of exact dates of sampling and who conducts it should it indeed happen again this year. I am hoping that a staff person can add fertilizer and conduct some minor tilling before then. Danielle Duncan
9/11/2019 Workplan Requested Requested a work plan for sampling the biocell. A site visit will be made this fall or spring. Danielle Duncan
10/3/2019 Site Characterization Workplan Approved ADEC Contaminated Sites Program staff reviewed the “Sampling and Analysis Plan: Whitestone Camp and Sort Yard” (Work Plan) dated October 2, 2019 from NORTECH for the Whitestone Camp and Sort Yard site in Hoonah, Alaska. This Work Plan was submitted to ADEC on October 2, 2019 via email. Proposed field activities are scheduled for October 7 and generally consist of advancing three soil borings into the biocell (one per third of the biocell), field-screening soil with a photo-ionization detector at three-inch intervals, soil sample collection for laboratory analysis of diesel range organics and residual range organics. Any soil samples with organic material will be analyzed with and without silica gel. This work plan is approved with the following changes: •Field-screen six total samples from each third of the biocell, one per 12”-18” depth range. •The soil sample with the highest PID reading from each third of the biocell will be submitted for laboratory analysis of DRO and RRO. Amy Rodman
11/12/2019 Site Characterization Report Approved The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Contaminated Sites Program (ADEC) has reviewed and approved the report titled, “Site Assessment Report: Whitestone Camp and Sort Yard Bioremediation Cell” for the Whitestone Camp and Sort Yard site in Hoonah, Alaska dated November 7, 2019. The Report was submitted via email on November 7, 2019 by NORTECH, Inc. (NORTECH). Fieldwork was conducted on October 7, 2019 and generally consisted of collecting soil samples for field-screening and laboratory analysis. The site will be evaluated for closure. Amy Rodman
11/1/2020 Update or Other Action Julie Fix is assigned as the new project manager. Julie Fix

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments

Control Type

Type Details

Requirements

Description Details

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