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Site Report: NPS Denali Nat'l Park Hotel Oil Spill

Site Name: NPS Denali Nat'l Park Hotel Oil Spill
Address: Denali National Park, near Outdoor World Hotel, Denali Park, AK 99755
File Number: 220.38.001
Hazard ID: 11
Status: Active
Staff: Livia Bracker, 9072697695 livia.bracker@alaska.gov
Latitude: 63.732662
Longitude: -148.917329
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

10,000 gallon diesel spill from railroad tankcar in winter 1972. Additional spills from leaking UST from hotel power plant. Several spills and five separate sites involved. On 5/7/91 ADEC was informed by the National Park Service that they were investigating a spill which apparently occurred in the late 1970s. The spill was thought to be approximately 10,000 gallons of diesel. Two 10,000 gallon USTs also located on site. A monitoring well at the site has 50 feet of floating product. Drinking wells located downgradient. Extent of contamination and threat to human health unknown. Apparently occurred while a railroad tank car was filling a fuel tank near the present power house and the ARA Outdoor World Hotel and the site of a new proposed hotel. The Park Service will be working with the Corps of Engineers to investigate the spill. Ecology and Environment to conduct preliminary assessment.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
7/18/1980 Update or Other Action John Janssen investigated oil spill that is reported to have happened in winter 1972. 10,000 gallons of diesel spilled when a valve that was frozen open thawed out during the night. Jeff Conn
5/10/1991 Site Added to Database Oil spill with groundwater contamination. Site Added to Database under name: Denali National Park Oil Spill Reckey 1991310112701. Action added by Jeff Conn. Laura Noland
5/31/1991 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = MS - Monitoring/Sampling). National Park Service sampled the powerhouse well using Modified EPA 8015 method and found 13,000 ppb gasoline, 250,000 ppb diesel. An upgradient well (#022 on file map) sampled at 1.4 ppb toluene and 2.4 ppb xylenes. Down gradient well was non-detectable for BTEX and serves as the water supply for the Visitor Center. Former Staff
6/25/1991 Update or Other Action Joe Durenburger from NPS monitored wells in the area of the spill. The powerhouse well had 50 feet of product in it. Jeff Conn
8/7/1991 Update or Other Action Joe Durenburger supervised pumping of well and recovery of product. New product did not come into well suggesting that fuel had been pumped into well by mistake. Jeff Conn
12/20/1991 Update or Other Action Report received outlining pull of two 2000-gallon tanks and excavation of 50 yards of contaminated soil which was then replaced in the excavation. DRO levels of over 9000 ppm were found. Jeff Conn
1/6/1992 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = RAPR - Remedial Action Plan Review (CS)). The Park Service has completed removal of 50 feet of floating product located in a well near the lodge. Since the removal, no product has reappeared. The department therefore believes the product to have been the result of an erroneous fuel fill into the well instead of a fuel tank. Former Staff
1/28/1992 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = SA1 - Phase I Site Assessment (General)). 2 USTs (non-regulated) removed in September 1991. Contaminated soils identified and temporarily placed back in pit. Treatment plan pending. Former Staff
1/8/1993 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Initial ranking. Former Staff
4/26/1993 Update or Other Action Remediation Plan for UST soil cleanup received. Jeff Conn
9/7/1993 Update or Other Action Report received outlining cleanup of contaminated soil associated with the leaking 2000 gallon USTs. 450 cubic yards removed. DRO levels up to 12000 ppm remained near retaining wall. Soil was put into remediation cells. Soil was later burned at OIT. Jeff Conn
2/14/1994 Update or Other Action (Old R:Base Action Code = RPL2 - Site Information Request Letter). Sent PRP-CS Database Notification Letter to RP requesting update and more environmental information concerning the contaminated site. RP responded with completed information form. Jeff Peterson
5/27/1994 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Reranked. Former Staff
11/2/1999 Meeting or Teleconference Held Met with NPS staff to discuss status of five sites at Denali National Park. ADEC will review file and send letters so NPS can plan for summer work. Eileen Olson
11/8/1999 Update or Other Action Site investigation report received for area in the vicinity of the hotel powerhouse. Depth to groundwater was over 100 feet and attempts to reach groundwater were not successful. Eleven borings were made and DRO of 24900 ppm was found at 25 feet near the former railroad spur. Jeff Conn
8/24/2001 Update or Other Action Workplan for further site assessment received. Jeff Conn
12/7/2001 Update or Other Action Hotel Powerhouse Site Assessment received. Jeff Conn
5/7/2002 Update or Other Action Proposed plan from Joe Durrenburger received, outlining how contaminated surface soils would be removed during construction of a new road. Jeff Conn
12/12/2002 Site Number Identifier Changed Duplicate sites existed. Combined data from Reckey in to this site. New Site Name kept. Old Site Name was "Denali Nat’l Park Hotel". Jeff Conn
4/29/2003 Meeting or Teleconference Held Met with NPS staff to review anticipated actions during Summer, 2003. Larry Johnson
6/6/2003 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Approved workplan for soil investigation, removal and treatment, with amendments. Larry Johnson
6/12/2003 Update or Other Action Approved transport of additional drummed contaminated soil for treatment. Larry Johnson
9/5/2003 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Approved workplan with amendments for additional excavation and treatment of contaminated soil at locations of high levels of contamination identified during previous removal. Larry Johnson
12/11/2007 Update or Other Action Letter sent by DEC in response to meeting on 10/16/07 and file review. Because of uncertainty about the groundwater conditions and evidence that groundwater may be contaminated, the letter requests a hydrogeologic model and groundwater sampling for this area. Janice Wiegers
12/12/2007 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Initial ranking with ETM completed. Janice Wiegers
1/3/2008 GIS Position Updated Update lattitude/longitude for facility based on ADEC GIS air photos and the location of the powerhouse building. Janice Wiegers
2/11/2008 Update or Other Action NPS submitted a hydrogeologic conceptual site model. Model depicts various wells in the vicinity and suggests groundwater flows to the northeast (toward Nenana River). Janice Wiegers
2/20/2008 Update or Other Action Teleconference with Bill Heubner and Tammy Scholten to discuss hydrogeologic CSM. Janice Wiegers
6/8/2010 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Approved final work plan for placing aeration systems at the bottom of two wells on site to strip volatile compounds from the wells. The aerations systems will operate for several months, after which groundwater samples will be collected from the wells using passive diffusion samplers. Melody Debenham
7/14/2011 Site Characterization Report Approved Approved Groundwater Sampling report summarizing work performed in June 2010 and May 2011. Groundwater samples were collected with passive diffusion samplers after operating aeration systems in two wells. Benzene and diesel were detected above cleanup levels in Well A. Melody Debenham
5/15/2012 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Approved the 2012 Groundwater Sampling Work Plan describing groundwater sampling at Well A and Well E using passive diffusion bag samplers. Groundwater samples will be analyzed for GRO, DRO, and BTEX. Melody Debenham
5/23/2012 Site Visit Performed a site visit at the C-Camp Auto Shop site and the C Camp Emergency Services/Fire Management Building site in Denali National Park & Preserve. National Park Service (NPS) staff gave us a tour of the C-Camp sites, sites in the Headquarters area and the Hotel Powerhouse site. At the C-Camp site we observed drilling and soil sampling for the installation of a monitoring well. Melody Debenham
9/6/2012 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Approved work plan for decommissioning Well A and Well E. Melody Debenham
10/9/2012 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Approved the 2012 groundwater sampling report describing groundwater sampling at Well A and Well E using passive diffusion bag samplers. Samples were analyzed for GRO, DRO, and BTEX. DRO was detected in Well A at 1.78 mg/L, above the cleanup level of 1.5 mg/L. All other compounds were either below the cleanup level or not detected. Melody Debenham
10/17/2012 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Approved the final report documenting the decommissioning of Well A and Well E. Melody Debenham
9/30/2014 Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter Potentially responsible party letter sent to the National Park Service. Melody Debenham
4/4/2017 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 78301 Historic surface spills associated with ASTs. Gretchen Caudill
4/3/2018 Update or Other Action DEC has provided recommendations to NPS to work towards closure of the site including installing at least 4 soil borings to demonstrate potential DRO attenuation. Project funding likely in 2019. Gretchen Caudill
7/29/2019 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Brief comments provided on soil sampling WP. Gretchen Caudill
8/21/2019 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC Approval - Work Plan for Denali Hotel Powerhouse Soil Sampling. Objectives of this work plan include the evaluation of current concentrations of diesel range organics in soil, the assessment of aliphatic and aromatic fraction of remaining petroleum in soil, and the evaluation of volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil. Gretchen Caudill
1/7/2020 Meeting or Teleconference Held DEC met with NPS and Ahtna contractor to discuss site history and future plans for the site Tim Sharp
1/8/2020 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC approved 2019 Final Report for Soil Sampling efforts. All soil borings except one fell below risk based cleanup levels for all contaminants of concern. Resampling efforts are recommended to see if the concentrations attenuate. Tim Sharp
8/17/2022 Meeting or Teleconference Held ADEC met with NPS and representatives from Ahtna to discuss multiple site histories and potential paths forward for remediation and eventual closure with or without ICs. Tim Sharp

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