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Site Report: Chignik Bay School

Site Name: Chignik Bay School
Address: #1 School Road, Chignik, AK 99564
File Number: 2531.38.001
Hazard ID: 1562
Status: Active
Staff: Bill O'Connell, 9072693057 bill.oconnell@alaska.gov
Latitude: 56.292674
Longitude: -158.405703
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

In 1993, during school construction activities, hydrocarbons were encountered in the soil at 3.5 to 5 feet bgs. The source area was attributed to eight former ASTs which had been located upslope of the building site (which is visually evident in a 1982 DCRA map). The tank facility stored No. 1 heating fuel for the village. Approximately 3,445 cubic yards of contaminated soil was excavated to groundwater (12-13 feet below ground surface) and transported offsite. ADEC approved soil to be transported and used as landfill cover in 2002. The new school was built over a geotextile fabric and 20 mil liner (placed directly over the geotextile fabric). Liner & fabric are buried 4' BGS, angling slightly upward beyond the building's edge. The public drinking water well is located 1/4 mile upgradient (west). Chignik Bay is in the "over 40 inch zone" where the DRO MTG cleanup level is 230 mg/kg. Groundwater cleanup level is 1.5 mg/L for DRO.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
8/5/1993 Update or Other Action On this date, Shannon and Wilson advanced nine test pits to ID plume boundaries. Three soil samples collected at a depth of 3 to 5 feet bgs, contained DRO up to 13,000 mg/kg. Grant Lidren
8/27/1993 Update or Other Action On this date, Shannon and Wilson excavated 3,445 cubic yards of petroleum impacted soil 12 to 13 feet bgs down to groundwater and transported it to a landfarm area. Confirmation soil samples collected at the groundwater interface contained DRO up to 14,000 mg/kg. The excavation was brought to grade with cleanfill. A school was built over the top of this former tank farm area. Grant Lidren
9/6/1995 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other On this date, ADEC received stockpile soil sampling results, submitted by Platt Environmental and dated May 17, 1995. Three composite samples collected from the stockpile located at the AK Packers Subdivision #1, Block 2, Lot 14; contained DRO up to 3,800 mg/kg. Grant Lidren
4/15/2001 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other According to a Chignik Bay Pol Soil Stockpile Characterization and Relocation Work plan, submitted by Platt Environmental, and dated January 21, 2002, the soil stockpile was sampled in the Spring of 2001. The stockpile soil samples contained DRO up to 2,000 mg/kg. Grant Lidren
1/22/2002 Update or Other Action "Chignik Bay POL Stockpile Characterization and Relocation" work plan approved Lynne Bush
2/11/2002 Update or Other Action On this date, ADEC received stockpile soil sampling results, submitted by Platt Environmental and dated February 11, 2002. Stockpile soil samples collected contained DRO up to 625 mg/kg. Grant Lidren
4/30/2002 Update or Other Action ADEC approval to transport soil stockpile to location near the landfill in accordance with the approved work plan. David Pikul
3/13/2012 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 72540 former tank farm. Grant Lidren
4/5/2013 Meeting or Teleconference Held PM spoke with Tim McDermott [Facilities manager at Lake & Peninsula School District (LPSD)] and Dick Sharpe (Mayor of Chignik) about path to closure at Chignik School. Laura Hylton is LPSD's business manager and should be cc'd on future correspondence. The landfarmed soil was transferred near the landfill in 2002 (with ADEC authorization) where it currently remains. Tim and PM will meet in King Salmon in May/June 2013 timeframe and travel to Chignik to sample the stockpile. If the stockpile is clean, it may be spread over the landfill as cover if/after DEC's Solid Waste Program concurs. Richard Bernhardt
5/29/2013 Site Visit DEC coordinated with the Lake and Peninsula School District (LPSD) and the Mayor of Chignik and conducted a site visit May 2013. During the site visit, DEC collected soil samples from: a test pit at the Chignik Bay City Tank Farm, a test pit at the Chignik Bay School Quonset Hut, and from the Chignik Bay School stockpile located at the dump. At the Chignik Bay City Tank Farm, soil samples collected at a depth of 1.5 and 3 feet bgs did not contain petroleum constituents above cleanup levels. At the Chignik Bay School Quonset Hut, two soil samples collected 2 feet bgs did not contain petroleum constituents above cleanup levels. At the stockpile, seven soil samples collected 2, 6, and 10 feet into the pile contained DRO up to 2,420 mg/kg. At 6 feet into the pile, strong hydrocarbon odors, stained soil, shotgun shells, and broken clay pigeons were noted. After sampling, the stockpile was spread from 20 feet to 10 feet above ground surface and amendments including fertilizer, nitrate, and sulfate were spread into the pile to promote remediation. Grant Lidren
2/3/2014 Update or Other Action DEC spoke with the facilities manager for the Lake and Peninsula School District (LPSD) on this day. He indicated that the school was shut down and is currently boarded up. Joshua Barsis
4/22/2014 Update or Other Action On this day, the LPSD provided a letter to the ADEC documenting the 1993 soil excavation beneath the Chignik Bay School. The letter (letter), dated December 1993, was prepared by Fred Brown of Shannon and Wilson, Inc (S&W). The letter stated that the LPSD contracted S&W to assist in the cleanup for this project; however, the LPSD did not authorize S&W to prepare a report. Instead, S&W provided analytical data and sampling information to the LPSD so that the LPSD could prepare a report internally. An internal report was never prepared. Analytical data indicate that DRO contaminated soil remains beneath the Chignik Bay School at concentrations above ADEC cleanup levels. Confirmation samples collected from the sidewalls of the excavation at 7 feet bgs contained DRO up to 31,000 mg/kg. Confirmation samples collected from the base of the excavation at 12 feet bgs contained DRO up to 22,000 mg/kg. Groundwater was encountered in the excavation at roughly 12 feet bgs. The assumed groundwater flow direction is to the north-northwest. The extent of contamination has not been defined at this site. Joshua Barsis
4/22/2014 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking A new updated ranking with ETM has been completed for source area 72540 former tank farm. Joshua Barsis
5/2/2014 Update or Other Action On this day, the CSP sent a letter to the LPSD requesting additional information about the drinking water source areas and the groundwater in Chignik. Joshua Barsis
2/2/2015 Update or Other Action The CSP received an email on this day from the LPSD. The LPSD indicated that the main source of drinking water is from surface water; however, groundwater wells also exist. The closest drinking water well to the school is located approximately "500' from the back of the school", and the Chignik Bay School reopened in September 2014 and is currently operating. Joshua Barsis
12/14/2015 Update or Other Action Letter sent on this day; work plan requested by March 1, 2016 to delineate the soil and groundwater contamination. Joshua Barsis
7/21/2021 Update or Other Action J. Fix assigned as new Project Manager. Julie Fix

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments

Control Type

Type Details

Requirements

Description Details

There are no documents for this site report.

No associated sites were found.

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