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Site Report: The Letter Shop, Former

Site Name: The Letter Shop, Former
Address: 157 Old Steese Highway, Fairbanks, AK 99701
File Number: 102.23.015
Hazard ID: 727
Status: Non-Qualifying
Staff: No Longer Assigned, 9074655229 dec.icunit@alaska.gov
Latitude: 64.847650
Longitude: -147.704080
Horizontal Datum:

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 business at 157 Old Steese Highway (formerly The Letter Shop) is an active printing business generating solvent-saturated cleaning rags that are collected in 55-gallon drums and disposed at the landfill. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) preliminary assessment in 1984 indicated no apparent hazardous material disposal problem. In September 2016, during a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment in preparation for a road widening project in the area (ADOT&PF 3rd Street Improvement Project, Hazard ID 26359, File No. 102.38.186), tetrachloroethene (PCE) contamination (1.7 parts per million (ppm)) was discovered at The Letter Shop site. Soil and groundwater samples during the Phase II investigation resulted in values that exceeded regulatory guidance levels at The Letter Shop site in groundwater only. Follow-up sampling of soils from a crack in the crawlspace floor at The Letter Shop site resulted in levels of lead, and PCE that were below ADEC cleanup levels. PCE and lead found in groundwater samples at The Letter Shop site (Hazard ID 727, File Number 102.23.015) have been attributed to a nearby historical dry cleaning business (229 3rd Street, Hazard ID 4134, File Number 102.38.130). Institutional controls are in place on the Letter Shop property through a Notice of Environmental Contamination (NEC) attached to a Deed Notice. The institutional controls and further investigation will be tracked under the 229 3rd Street site record. This site is therefore considered Non-Qualifying.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
8/31/1984 Preliminary Assessment Approved TetraTech did not assign a priority to site because solvent-saturated rags are stored in drums and sent to landfill. Former Staff
12/12/1990 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Initial ranking. Former Staff
12/29/1992 Update or Other Action New information submitted by ADOTCON 1/92 from field work performed 8-9/91. Work was done for Old Steese Highway reconstruction hazmat investigation which also included 4 other business sites. Cindy Thomas
1/25/1994 Site Added to Database Tetrachlorethylene and lead. Former Staff
2/25/1994 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = RPL1 - Initiate Dialog with RP). Sent letter to Graphic North (current owner), to initiate cleanup dialogue. Requested site assessment. Never received a respone after stated 30 days, but letter was mistakenly never sent certified. Cindy Thomas
8/19/1994 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = RPL2 - Site Information Request Letter). Sent certified query letters to current owner, and previous owners, requesting that a site assessment be performed to determine extent of contamination. Will await reply. Cindy Thomas
8/19/1994 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = RPS - Responsible Party Search). Undertook PRP search with FNSB and Recorders Office records. Four current or previous owner/operators identified. Cindy Thomas
8/29/1994 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Reranked. Former Staff
1/13/1995 Update or Other Action SITE SUMMARY: Current owner agreed to hire Nortech and perform Phase I site assessment. Source, degree and extent of contamination unknown. SAI has never been submitted. Suggest a reminder letter. Cindy Thomas
7/10/2002 GIS Position Updated Plotted latitude and longitude coordinates and found them to be acceptable for associated property or address. Heather Goldman
12/20/2004 Update or Other Action File Review. The Letter Shop (Former Graphic North), Files: 102.23.015 and 102.38.035. The following is a synopsis of a review of the above files. It should be noted that the files may not contain complete and up to date information. December 1984 – The Letter Shop is identified as a potential hazardous waste site in the Tetra-Tech report TC-3924 titled “Preliminary Assessments of 45 Potential Hazardous Waste Sites in the State of Alaska.” February 22, 1985 – ADEC’s Hazardous Waste Program requests comments from the owners of the site concerning the Tetra-Tech preliminary assessment. No response from owners is in the file. January 15, 1992 – An ADOT report titled “Hazardous Materials Investigation Old Steese Highway Reconstruction ADOT/PF Project 364242 FM – 0672(1)” documents soil and ground water contamination in the right-of-way of the Letter Shop. PCE was detected in the soil at 0.093 mg/Kg and in the ground water at 5 µg/L. In 992 ADEC did not have published numerical soil cleanup standards. Also, lead was detected in the ground water at 50 µg/L. Both the PCE and lead in the ground water were above ADEC cleanup standards at the time. August 26, 1994 – ADEC sends Request for Corrective Action letters to the current and past land owners, and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The past landowners, Harold Mansur and Edwin Sandbeck signed for the certified letters but no response is in the file. The current landowners, Wayne and Virginia Clark did not sign for the certified letter and the returned letter is in the file. The SBA did respond denying any liability for the site. June 28, 2002 – Shannon & Wilson report titled “Drilling Investigation and Groundwater Sampling in the FAIR Study Area, Fairbanks, Alaska” documents ground water contamination in monitoring well MW-8. A series of monitoring wells were installed up gradient from the FAIR area. MW-8 is located down gradient from the Letter Shop. MW-8 detected PCE at 0.020 mg/L and TCE at 0.0025 mg/L. July 2002 – A CIP request, “Downtown Assessment” is submitted to investigate ground water contamination from the Letter Shop, a historical dry cleaner location on 3rd Street, the Bentley Mall East Satellite Building, and MC Commercial Laundry and Cleaners. Douglas Bauer
3/12/2008 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed. Tamara Cardona-Marek
3/27/2008 Update or Other Action Received e-mail in response to DEC's letter requesting current info on the property . Owner would like to know why is further assessment needed if site is paved. Tamara Cardona-Marek
11/7/2009 Update or Other Action Project manager changed from Tamara Cardona-Marek to Jim Fish. Janice Wiegers
3/18/2016 Update or Other Action Sent PRP a letter requiring a workplan for site characterization within 90 days (June 10th). Laura Jacobs
7/29/2016 Update or Other Action Received a letter from Mr. Wayne Clark stating Nortech completed a report December 29, 1995. He will deliver a copy to our office for our review. Laura Jacobs
8/1/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Owners of Graphic North, once called "The Letter Shop" sent a copy of a 1995 report by FPE/ROEN Engineers that the PRP believes spells out they do not have to do further site characterization. Laura Jacobs
8/1/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other PRP sent a copy of the 1995 report by NORTECH,"Phase I Site Assessment, Lots 8 and 9, Block 2, Graehl Town site, Reckey Number 89310902523, ADEC File Number 102.23.015, December 29, 1995". DEC's review of the document found the following in NORTECH's Recommendations: "NORTECH ranks the risk of contamination at this site to be high based on the ground-water contamination confirmed as well as reported past disposal practices." Laura Jacobs
8/4/2016 Update or Other Action DEC sent PRP a letter in response to his letter and delivery of the NORTECH Phase I Site Assessment. We have asked him to come into the office to discuss the site and what should happen next. Laura Jacobs
6/28/2018 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC staff reviewed a copy of the "Phase II Environmental Site Assessment 229 Third Street (ADEC File No. 102.38.130) and Third Street Widening Project, November 10, 2017" by Nortech which included some sampling of wells on the subject site. This was part of a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment of several lots within Blocks 5 and 6 of the Graehl Townsite owned by ADOT&PF as part of the Third Street Widening Project. Results identified an area of PCE-contaminated soil which extended beneath the lots in this assessment. Nortech has concluded that the Graphic North parcel is not an additional source of PCE groundwater contamination. The PCE contaminated groundwater is consistent with the downgradient edge of the PCE migrating from the source at Parcel 4 (Lot 2, Block 5). Laura Jacobs
10/25/2019 Institutional Control Record Established Institutional Controls established and entered into the database. Laura Jacobs
10/29/2019 Update or Other Action PCE and lead found in groundwater samples at The Letter Shop site (Hazard ID 727, File Number 102.23.015) have been attributed to a nearby historical dry cleaning business (229 3rd Street, Hazard ID 4134, File Number 102.38.130). Institutional controls are in place on the Letter Shop property through a Notice of Environmental Contamination (NEC) attached to the Deed Notice. The institutional controls and further investigation will be tracked under the 229 3rd Street site record. This site is therefore considered Non-Qualifying. Laura Jacobs

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments

Control Type

Type Details
Notice of Environmental Contamination Deed notice on Lots 8 and 9, Block 2, Graehl Townsite Subdivision, Plat 83.995, contamination at the site is due to groundwater plume due that originates at contaminated site known as "229 3rd Street", Hazard ID:4134, Site Number 102.38.130.

Requirements

Description Details
Groundwater Use Restrictions No groundwater wells shall be installed at 157 Old Steese Highway, the property, without prior ADEC approval.
Periodic Review The Landowner agrees to notify ADEC prior to any sale or transfer of the property and shall report to ADEC every 5 years to document the status of compliance with the institutional controls described in this notice.
New Construction Restrictions If the use of the building changes, or if other buildings are constructed on the property, ADEC must be notified to determine if building occupants could be affected by vapors.
Subdivision Restriction ADEC must be notified in advance of the subdivision or replat of the property associated with these institutional controls. The recorded Notice of Environmental Contamination must be included as part of future property transactions and attached to subsequent associated parcels.
Hazard ID Site Name File Number
4134 229 3rd Street 102.38.130

Missing Location Data

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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