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Site Report: NSB Wainwright Former Tank Farm

Site Name: NSB Wainwright Former Tank Farm
Address: North of city; Adjacent to Chukchi Sea access ramp, Wainwright, AK 99782
File Number: 360.38.001
Hazard ID: 1387
Status: Active
Staff: Andrea Carlson, 9074515174 andrea.carlson@alaska.gov
Latitude: 70.643800
Longitude: -160.023100
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

The Olgoonik Corporation Tank Farm is located at the northern end of Wainwright and is adjacent to the vehicle access ramp to the Chukchi Sea. The tank farm covers approximately 3 acres. Gasoline, diesel, and other petroleum products were stored on the pad. Evidence of chronic spills and leakage noted during 6/91 Non-crude Survey. Drainage channel leads from tanks directly to the ocean 100 yards away. There were 19 tanks storing between 32,000 and 250,000 gallons each. Nine of the smaller (unregulated) tanks were cleaned and demolished in the summer of 1993. In addition to bulk fuel storage, there were several connexes containing white gasoline and liquid petroleum gas cylinders. Site Characterization occurred in 1993. Contamination was determined to be present throughout the site, both within and outside of the containment dike areas. Surface waters of the nearby tundra showed evidence of sheen. Inadequate analytical sampling was done in 1993 to fully characterize the site. Site remediation was to be postponed until 1995 when the remaining ten tanks were demolished. Drinking water source 3 miles inland from site.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
10/15/1991 Site Added to Database Tank farm. Former Staff
7/23/1992 Meeting or Teleconference Held Met and discussed site conditions, actions with NSB and Olgoonik staff. Cindy Thomas
7/23/1992 Update or Other Action Staff inspected and photo documented site conditions and observed: significant contamination breached tank farm area and moved towards Arctic Ocean. Tanks in poor shape and staining within tank farm. 1-2 acres tundra contaminated. Many old tanks not in use. Very poor fuel handling practices probably led to current site conditions. New unlined berm recently created. (Old R:Base Action Code = RECN - Site Reconnaissance (CS)). Cindy Thomas
1/14/1994 Update or Other Action Staff sent PRP-CS Database Notification Letter to RP requesting update and more environmental information concerning the contaminated site. As of this "complete date" no response has been received. (Old R:Base Action Code = RPL2 - Site Information Request Letter). Jeff Peterson
3/8/1994 Preliminary Assessment Approved Staff reports: SA1 by WCC/VRCA was submitted to ADEC. Diesel and gas contamination was noted throughout pad and on the tundra along the seaside of the tank farm. Sheen noted in many puddles and around existing tanks. Report recommended delaying cleanup until all tanks are decommissioned in 1995. ADEC agreed to dovetail cleanup with demolition, but wanted some cleanup to occur in 94 as well. According to C-Plan people, some tanks will be removed in 94. ADEC requested a response from the North Slope Borough. (Old R:Base Action Code = SA1R - Phase I SA Review (CS/LUST)). Cindy Thomas
3/8/1994 Site Characterization Report Approved Staff reviewed Phase 1 Site assessment. Extensive contamination noted throughout property. Requested site stabilization efforts and additional investigation and cleanup plan. (Old R:Base Action Code = SA1R - Phase I SA Review (CS/LUST)). Cindy Thomas
9/18/2006 Update or Other Action Letter sent to Olgoonik Corporation requesting current site information, further site characterization and plans for remediation. Shannon Oelkers
7/26/2007 Meeting or Teleconference Held ADEC staff met with NSB and their consultant to review open status village files and to propose responses to the ADEC's request for further information and characterization at this site. Shannon Oelkers
7/27/2007 Update or Other Action Site transferred from Oelkers to O'Connell. Shannon Oelkers
8/29/2007 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Bill O'Connell
10/24/2007 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting with NSB and their consultant. Bill O'Connell
10/22/2010 Update or Other Action Phone conversation with Project Manager at Olgoonik Environmental Services (OES). At some point in the recent past, ownership of this property was transferred from North Slope Borough (NSB) to Olgoonik Corporation (OC), after which time OES constructed a contractor pad/laydown yard at the site, including a shop and other buildings. After the property was transferred to OES, seven natural gas exploration wells were reportedly drilled at the site during a project conducted by OC, NSB, and the U.S. Geological Survey. OC is now in the process of decommissioning these seven wells, and reportedly encountered significant concentrations of hydrocarbon contamination, including free product, while excavating around the well heads in order to cut and cap them. Due to the lack of fill material in Wainwright, OC is approved to backfill the excavated soil into the excavations. Additional investigation is anticipated. Bill O'Connell
12/8/2011 Meeting or Teleconference Held Meeting today with NSB to discuss proposed 2012 activities. Delinate summer 2012, encapsulate if applicable. Bill O'Connell
4/30/2012 Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter PRP letter sent to property owner Olgoonik Corporation. Response received this date. No immediate action is anticipated. Bill O'Connell
11/14/2012 Meeting or Teleconference Held O'Connell met with NSB to discuss site status and potential future activities at the site. This site was discussed as a potential 2013 project. Keather McLoone
3/4/2014 Update or Other Action Date of letter sent to both NSB and Olgoonik, as they have both been identified as PRPs for this site, requesting that the site be adequately characterized. Keather McLoone
3/25/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Date of receipt of document entitled Wainwright Tank Farm Draft Site Characterization Work Plan. Work is scheduled for second half of April 2015 for soil sampling and in September for surface water and suprapermafrost groundwater sampling. The investigation includes six borings that will be advanced, sampled, and completed as monitoring wells. Up to five locations will be sampled for surface water and surface soil/sediment. Analytical suite for all samples to include GRO/DRO/RRO/VOCs and 8 RCRA metals with 10 percent PAHs except surface water which will be sampled for VOCs and PAHs. The main objective of this effort is to evaluate potential for offsite migration. Keather McLoone
4/16/2015 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Date of receipt of Wainwright Tank Farm Site Characterization Work Plan- Final. ADEC approved the March 24, 2015 version without comment in a letter dated March 27, 2015. Keather McLoone
5/6/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Reviewed the NSB Wainwright Tank Farm Area Site Characterization Report Draft, dated April 5, 2016. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the contamination in the pad material and suprapermafrost groundwater is migrating offsite and potentially creating an ecological or human health risk. Activities performed during the 2015 field effort included advancing six soil borings; collecting two soil samples from each soil boring; converting all borings to groundwater monitoring wells; collecting groundwater samples from the wells; and collecting three surface water samples. Analytical samples were submitted for laboratory analysis of gasoline range organics (GRO), diesel range organics (DRO), residual range organics (RRO), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organics compounds (VOCs), and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) metals. Results of the investigation revealed that arsenic was the only contaminant present above the Method Two soil cleanup levels in both the non-native porous material (man-made gravel pad) and the native material (tundra). Arsenic was present between 7.06 and 15.2 mg/kg, which exceeds the current Method Two soil cleanup level of 6.1 mg/kg. Benzene, GRO, DRO, RRO, and arsenic were detected in the suprapermafrost groundwater up to 0.00582 mg/l, 2.740 mg/l, 3.260 mg/l, 1.360 mg/l, and 0.0208 mg/l, respectively, all of which exceed the Table C groundwater criteria. Additionally, total aromatic hydrocarbons (TAH) and total aqueous hydrocarbons (TAqH) were present in the suprapermafrost groundwater up to 0.80526 mg/l and 0.8068041 mg/l, respectively, both of which exceed the Alaska Water Quality Standard (AWQS) or 0.010 mg/l and 0.015 mg/l for TAH and TAqH. Surface water sample results did not exceed TAH or TAqH for AWQS. Recommendations provided in the report included conducting a site assessment of current activities; locating the site where seven natural gas exploration wells were free product was observed; and relocating monitoring well MW-05 and installing additional monitoring wells to identify the southern and western boundaries of the fuel contamination. ADEC requested a work plan by June 15, 2016 for the proposed work. Joshua Barsis
1/17/2017 Update or Other Action Letter sent to NSB on this day detailing the current status/progress of 22 active contaminated sites, including this site. Joshua Barsis
11/20/2017 Update or Other Action Letter sent on this day as a follow up to the last version of this letter, dated January 17, 2017, and as a follow up to a meeting with NSB on November 17, 2017. This letter details the current status/progress of 23 active contaminated sites, including this site. Joshua Barsis
6/4/2018 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Reviewed the NSB Supplemental Site Characterization Work Plan, dated April 30, 2018. Proposed activities generally consist of installing soil borings and monitoring wells, and collecting analytical samples from subsurface soils, porewater, and surface water. Joshua Barsis
11/16/2018 Update or Other Action Letter sent on this day as a follow up to the last version of this letter, dated November 20, 2017, and at the request of the North Slope Borough (NSB). This letter details the current progress of 24 active contaminated sites, including this site. Joshua Barsis
2/19/2020 Enforcement Action Notice of Violation issued to NSB on February 18, 2020. See file for more information. Joshua Barsis
6/29/2022 Enforcement Agreement or Order A compliance order by consent (COBC) was signed by the North Slope Borough and ADEC Division of SPAR. The COBC identifies corrective actions that the NSB will take to manage cleanup waste and characterize and remediate contaminated sites and spills. Lisa Krebs-Barsis

Contaminant Information

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Description Details

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