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Division of Spill Prevention and Response
20 Years after the Exxon Valdez
A comparison of spill prevention and response in Prince William Sound in March 1989 to March 2009. Look for more information soon on the 20 years after the March 24th, 1989 grounding of the T/V Exxon Valdez.
Contaminated Sites Program
North Pole Refinery, sulfolane issue - (3/4/10)
Flint Hills Resources is working with DEC's Contaminated Sites Program and the City of North Pole on an environmental investigation of the contaminant Sulfolane, found in the groundwater on the refinery property. Sulfolane, or tetrahydrothiophene 1, 1-dioxide, is a solvent developed by Shell Oil Company in the early 1960s and is used for the recovery of aromatic components from petroleum.
Salt Chuck Mine, new Superfund site - (3/4/10)
The Salt Chuck Mine is an abandoned historic gold, silver, copper and palladium mine located on the southeast side of Prince of Wales Island. An extensive tailings deposit of an estimated 100,000 cubic yards is located mostly in the inter-tidal zone south of the mill, on State-owned tidelands. A preliminary analysis published in 2007 outlined several areas of contamination both in the uplands and the inter-tidal area. The levels found were high enough for DEC and and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services to believe that there is a risk to human health. The site characterization, however, did not provide enough data to be sure whether or not food gathering or other activities should be officially restricted. In the spring of 2009, DEC conducted an informal sounding of public opinion about resolving lingering contamination issues and the delayed cleanup progress by giving the site Superfund status through placement on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priorities List. On March 2, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it added the Salt Chuck Mine site to the agency’s National Priorities List. The listing makes the site eligible to receive federal funds for long-term cleanup.
Recently Updated Guidance
- Lab Data Review Checklist - (1/2010) - updated
Lab Data Review Checklist for air samples -In the interests of standardizing DEC’s review of air data, the Contaminated Sites Program has developed a Laboratory Data Review Checklist for Air Samples. This checklist is appropriate for evaluating the quality of air data as part of a vapor intrusion investigation. The checklist should be completed by a qualified person when reviewing laboratory data deliverables containing indoor air, outdoor air, or soil gas analytical data. Completed checklists are submitted with the report, or an independent third party review can be contracted in lieu of the checklist.
- Draft Field Sampling Guidance - (2/2010)
The guidance contains fundamental guidelines, methods, and equipment options for sample collection at contaminated sites and leaking underground storage tank sites. It updates and expands the sampling procedures currently found in the Underground Storage Tank (UST) Procedures Manual, adopted by reference in the 18 AAC 78 regulations. It is DEC’s intent to see the DRAFT Field Sampling Guidance used to help develop work plans and guide fieldwork during the upcoming field season. The initial release of the guidance focuses on soil and groundwater; sediment, surface water, and air sampling protocols are under development and more specialized material may be added in the future as input from staff and the regulated community is received.
Industry Preparedness Program
New Oil Pollution Prevention Regulations
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is engaged in a multi-year, multi-phase project to comprehensively review and update the oil discharge prevention and contingency plan regulations in 18 AAC 75.
Prevention and Emergency Response Program
Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment Project
The National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Coast Guard and State of Alaska (ADEC) are working on a multi-phase risk assessment of maritime transportation in the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Archipelago.