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Tanana Community Hall

Site Location
  • View detailed information from the database on this site.
  • Database Name: Tanana Community Hall
  • Status: Active
  • Location: Tanana
  • Latitude: 65.169791
  • Longitude: -152.070608
  • Key DBAC Services:
    • Site Assessment: Site Characterization
    • Cleanup Planning
  • DBACs Awarded: 2015, 2017, 2019
  • DEC File Number: 780.38.017

DEC Contaminated Sites contact: Breanna Mahoney, 907-269-7503

Site Narrative

  • Requested by the Tanana Tribal Council
Aerial view of Tanana Community Hall in Tanana, Alaska

Figure showing contamination limits at Tanana Community Hall in Tanana, Alaska. Figure courtesy of 2017 Site Assessment.

The property was historically used by the federal Alaska Railroad from the 1950s and conveyed to the Native Corporations, Tozitna Limited and Doyon via the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in the 1985. Historical use suggests the property was used as a wood stave tank farm to store Bunker C (No. 6) fuel oil. In 2013, DEC was notified that contaminated soil was encountered while a ditch was being dug along the roadway. The current community hall was built in the 1960s and has inefficient utilities. The community would like to use the area where the contamination is, to build a new community hall with “green technology” and improve the adjacent parking lot. The plans for the property also include a picnic area and cooking area.

In SFY 2015, Tanana Tribal Council was granted DBAC services to conduct a Property Assessment and Cleanup Plan (PACP). Petroleum constituents were found in the surface soil above DEC cleanup levels and reported a distinct “tar” layer in the soil. In SFY 2017 the Tanana Tribal Council received additional DBAC services to conduct further assessment activities on the property to determine the extent of the contamination.

In SFY19, DEC conducted activities to support a potential cleanup action in Tanana. Limited data gaps associated with previous site assessment work necessitated additional field activities prior to the development of the Analyses of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives (ABCA). DEC prepared an ABCA and held a public meeting in conjunction with the public comment period. The selected cleanup action was excavation and off-site thermal remediation. The community recognized that due to the cost of this alternative, implementation of the cleanup using DBAC services would not be possible. DEC developed a corrective action plan for Tozitna for use in future grant applications with other agencies.

Project Documents

Property Assessment and Cleanup Plan 2015

Site Assessment 2017