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Site Report: Kodiak - Buskin Beach Asphalt DA

Site Name: Kodiak - Buskin Beach Asphalt DA
Address: South of Buskin Hill, on the Beach, Kodiak, AK 99616
File Number: 2601.38.101
Hazard ID: 1582
Status: Active
Staff: Curtis Dunkin, 9072693053 curtis.dunkin@alaska.gov
Latitude: 57.763797
Longitude: -152.476432
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

Free product tar daylights at the surface of a wetlands area. Site is adjacent to Saint Paul Harbor. A followup site characterization study by the COE in September 1999 indicated below ground contamination was more extensive than shown in the 1998 study. A removal action in 2001 removed about 30,000 cubic yards of impacted soil and several thousand crushed drums. The majority of removed soils were used to build a subbase for a road paving project on the Rezanoff Highway.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
4/24/2001 Site Added to Database Tar. Former Staff
6/17/2002 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Staff reviewed a workplan for using approximately 31,000-tons of DRO, RRO contaminated material from this site for use in road subbase on Kodiak. The material has been crushed and tested for Department of Transportation material specs. The DOT has been involved in the project design and has reviewed the workplan. The material has passed DRO and RRO leachate testing (synthetic leachate procedure) and will be tested by coring during application. A test strip will be produced first with a higher frequency of testing. After curing the subbase will be capped with an approximate 2” hot asphalt cap. Jeff Brownlee
1/29/2003 Update or Other Action Staff reviewed an Interim Removal Action report for the ADA. The Asphalt Disposal Area removal is almost complete with approximately 30,000 cubic yards of DRO and RRO impacted soil removed and stockpiled. The impacted soil is planned for use as a subbase in a road paving project. Two areas in the project foot print will require additional soil removal to achieve method 2 cleanup levels. Jeff Brownlee
2/25/2003 Update or Other Action Staff reviewed an interim removal action report. The Asphalt Disposal Area cleanup is complete. An area of approximately 200 cubic-yards of DRO/RRO contaminated soil (5,000 – 6,000 DRO/RRO) remains at the far end of the gulch close to the beach. The contamination is 18-feet plus below ground surface and below the water table. High rates of groundwater infiltration make removal impractical. The remaining contamination will need to be addressed using a streamlined risk assessment or modeling to address possible exposure pathways with an institutional control attached to the property. Jeff Brownlee
6/6/2003 Meeting or Teleconference Held CS staff participated in a public Open House and Kodiak Island Borough Assembly meeting in Kodiak. The COE Alaska District presented the work planned for the summer including additional soil removal at Cape Chiniak Tracking Station and Little Navy Annex, beginning remedial action at the Drury Gulch PCB site and the foamed asphalt paving project. There was little public interest at the Open House. Jeff Brownlee
8/1/2003 Update or Other Action CS staff inspected a road sub-base project using POL impacted soils in Kodiak. Approximately 30,000-cubic yards of DRO- and RRO-contaminated soil from the Asphalt Disposal Area is being mixed with 4% oil emulsion and 3% lime in a pug mill and applied in two four inch lifts. Compactions are around 138 lbs/cubic foot (wet). The base looks firm and seems to hold up to traffic well. The base will be covered with a standard asphalt road top within two weeks Jeff Brownlee
9/5/2003 Meeting or Teleconference Held CS staff attended and participated in a Kodiak Island Borough assembly meeting and public open house for FUDS on Kodiak. The COE updated the assembly on the status of current and upcoming projects. There was minimal community interest at the open house Jeff Brownlee
11/13/2003 Update or Other Action Staff performed end of season site inspections at several sites on Kodiak. The Chiniak Highway paving extension that was built using subbase material made from contaminated material has been completed. The shoulders have been compacted and covered with chip tack. One section of road approximately 150-feet in length is eroding toward a cliff near the ocean. The material failure does not appear to be related to any shortcomings in geotech design, but appears to be a bedrock fracture under the road sloughing toward the bluff. The DOT has done temporary repair on the road for the winter and intends to rebuild this section inland next summer. There hasn’t been discussion yet on if the bedding material will be recycled into the new section or left in place. Other sites including the Airport Staging Area, Drury Gulch Buskin Beach have been wrapped up for the winter. Jeff Brownlee
11/17/2003 Update or Other Action The Chiniak Highway paving extension that was built using subbase material made from contaminated material has been completed. The shoulders have been compacted and covered with chip tack. One section of road approximately 150-feet in length is eroding toward a cliff near the ocean. The material failure does not appear to be related to any shortcomings in geotech design, but appears to be a bedrock fracture under the road sloughing toward the bluff. The DOT has done temporary repair on the road for the winter and intends to rebuild this section inland next summer. There hasn’t been discussion yet on if the bedding material will be recycled into the new section or left in place. Other sites including the Airport Staging Area, Drury Gulch Buskin Beach have been wrapped up for the winter. Jeff Brownlee
4/22/2004 Meeting or Teleconference Held Staff participated in a scoping meeting for the Asphalt Disposal Area FUDS on Kodiak Island. The landowner, Native of Kodiak, their consultant and the COE, their consultant and the DEC participated in the meeting. The site has a limited amount (a couple hundred cubic yards) of DRO/RRO impacted soil above Method 3 values below the groundwater table. The area was cleaned up to the extent practicable using dewatering and removal. The issue discussed at the meeting was the extent of groundwater characterization necessary to move toward site closure. The landowner was interested in having the deeper consolidated aquifer characterized with a bedrock well that could potentially be used as a future drinking water source. We agreed that the upper unconsolidated aquifer should first be characterized to see if there are any Table C exceedences. Several groundwater monitoring wells will be installed to characterize the unconsolidated aquifer at the site Jeff Brownlee
7/19/2004 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Staff reviewed a workplan for a groundwater investigation at the Asphalt Disposal Area FUDS on Kodiak. Five monitoring wells will be installed downgradient of two areas that have contamination remaining after a 2001 interim removal action. The remaining contamination (RRO and DRO – asphalt) was well below the water table and not practical to remove. The investigation will determine if any petroleum fraction is impacting the shallow aquifer. If the aquifer is above cleanup criteria the COE will provide an alternative drinking water supply to the landowner by drilling a deep bedrock well Jeff Brownlee
10/27/2004 Meeting or Teleconference Held staff participated in a Kodiak Island Borough Assembly meeting to discuss the status of Formerly Used Defense Sites on the island. The Corps of Engineers also participated at the meeting. The DEC and COE contractor also participated in a public open house to solicit comments on the cleanup work being done on Kodiak. Turnout was light as is typical in Kodiak Jeff Brownlee
3/17/2005 Site Characterization Report Approved Contaminated Sites staff reviewed and commented on a groundwater investigation report for the Asphalt Disposal Area Formerly Used Defense Site on Buskin Beach in Kodiak. Five monitoring wells were installed, developed and sampled. Analytical results showed petroleum constituents in groundwater below Table C values and below surface water criteria (the site is adjacent to Woman’s Bay) in all five wells. However coincidental evidence of contamination was noted in soils during drilling. Petroleum odor was also noted during water sampling as was the presence of intermittent petroleum sheening Jeff Brownlee
8/30/2005 Update or Other Action Contaminated Sites staff participated in site inspections at several Formerly Used Defense Sites on Kodiak Island. The EPA and the Corps of Engineers contractor also participated in the inspections. Sites visited include Cape Chiniak, Long Island, Millers Field, Asphalt Disposal Area, Drury Gulch, Building A-711, and the Airport Staging Area Jeff Brownlee
1/19/2006 Meeting or Teleconference Held Contaminated Sites staff participated in a Kodiak Island Borough Assembly meeting to discuss the recent documents available for the review and the field work the COE will be doing this summer in the island. The COE and DEC were interviewed on public radio to discuss the Kodiak projects and overall contaminated site cleanup process. There was also a public open house to give community members the opportunity to bring up concerns and ask questions in person. As typical for Kodiak turn out was light Jeff Brownlee
5/24/2006 Update or Other Action Staff participated in site inspections with a Corps of Engineers Pacific Ocean Division representative on Kodiak Island. Several Formerly Used Defense sites were toured by helicopter including Burma Road, Long Island, Buskin Lake, Cape Chiniak Tracking Station and Little Navy Annex Jeff Brownlee
6/1/2006 Meeting or Teleconference Held Staff participated with the Corps of Engineers (COE) and their contractor in a public open house for the Formerly Used Defense Sites on Kodiak Island. We also attended the Kodiak Island Borough Assembly meeting. The COE gave a briefing on the work planned for this summer. The open house showed light interest which is normal for Kodiak. Staff also met with Coast Guard environmental personnel and inspected several sites on the Coast Guard Base Jeff Brownlee
10/10/2006 Update or Other Action Staff reviewed a Feasibility Study for the Asphalt Disposal Area Formerly Used Defense Site on Kodiak. An interim removal action in 2001 removed approximately 30,000 cubic yards of Diesel Range and Residual Range Organics (DRO, RRO). Some isolated areas of contamination were left below the water line and in bedrock fractures in the excavation sidewalls that exceeded Method 3 cleanup levels. The Feasibility Study includes a risk evaluation and compares some streamlined alternatives toward site closure including Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) and supplying an alternative water supply to the site Jeff Brownlee
10/11/2006 Update or Other Action File number issued 2601.38.101. Aggie Blandford
1/4/2007 Update or Other Action Staff reviewed a Wetlands Restoration Report for the Buskin Beach Asphalt Disposal Area in Kodiak. This Formerly Used Defense Site was cleaned up in 2000 and 2001. The site was filled and graded to near original grade and a pond was made to replace the previous wetlands that had to be removed for remediation. It took a couple years for the COE and landowner to agree on permit issues. In the summer of 2006 top soil was placed over the gravel base course and a variety of native and imported plants such as soft rush, salmonberry, Bering hairgrass, sloughgrass, and Devils club were seeded or planted as seedlings in a moisture gradients trending from the wet areas surrounding the pond to more upland hillsides. Overall most species took fairly well. Some grasses were still quite small at the end of the season Jeff Brownlee
6/13/2007 Meeting or Teleconference Held Contaminated Sites staff participated in public meetings and site inspections for the Kodiak Formerly Used Defenses Sites (FUDS) on Kodiak Island. Three FUDS are active this summer including a continuing PCB removal at Drury Gulch, a below water smear zone excavation at Building A-711 and a biosparge pilot test at the Fire Training Pit. The Corps of Engineers and their contractor participated in a public open house and Kodiak Island Borough assembly meeting. Turnout was light for the open house, which is typical for Kodiak Jeff Brownlee
11/2/2007 Meeting or Teleconference Held Contaminated Sites staff participated in a Kodiak Island Borough Assembly meeting and public open house for the semiannual community update on the Formerly Used Defense Sites on Kodiak Island. The Corps of Engineers and their contractor also participated in the meetings. PCB impacted soil is continuing to be removed from Drury Gulch. About 860-tons of TSCA material and 1,500-tons of non-TSCA material have been removed this season with an estimated 700-tons remaining over cleanup levels. The diesel and residual range organic impacted soil removal has been completed at Building A-711. Approximately 16,000-tons of impacted soil was removed and stockpiled for future on island thermal remediation. The Airport Staging Area Fire Training Pit biosparging pilot study continues to operate with periodic groundwater and soil gas monitoring to evaluated performance. Interest was moderate at the open house with several people stopping by to discuss projects Jeff Brownlee
11/27/2007 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Intitial Ranking Complete for Source Area: 72560 (Autogenerated Action)
4/2/2008 Meeting or Teleconference Held Contaminated Sites staff participated in an update meeting for the Formerly Used Defense Sites on Kodiak Island. The Fire Training Pit, Drury Gulch, and Buskin Beach sites will be undergoing active remediation this summer. Environmental investigations will be performed at Building A-711, Buskin Beach and the Fire Training Pit. Proposed Plans are being produced this summer for Building A-711, Fire Training Pit, Asphalt Disposal Area and Buskin Beach and a closure report for an Underground Storage Tank cleanup at Bruhn Point. The spring open house and assembly meeting will be the end of May or early June Jeff Brownlee
7/2/2008 Update or Other Action Contaminated Sites staff reviewed and commented on Proposed Plans for the Buskin Beach and Asphalt Disposal Area Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) on Kodiak Island. The Asphalt Disposal Area has been remediated to the extent practicable and is proposed for conditional closure. The proposed alternative for Buskin Beach is soil excavation and Long-term monitoring for groundwater. Buskin Beach is composed of several dozen separate sites Jeff Brownlee
8/11/2008 Site Visit Contaminated Sites staff conducted site inspections with the EPA and Coast Guard at several Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) and Coast Guard sites on Kodiak Island. Field work had been done this season at Building A-711, Building A-141, Drury Gulch, Airport Staging Area, and the Site 3 Laundry. PCB and TCE soil removals have been completed at Drury Gulch and the contractor is working on the cap over the entire gulch and the drainage channel realignment. The biosparging pilot study at the Fire Training Pit is being evaluated and the cleanup team has decided to go back to the feasibility study and consider other remedial alternatives for the site Jeff Brownlee
1/22/2009 Meeting or Teleconference Held Contaminated Sites staff participated with the Corps of Engineers in a Kodiak Island Borough Assembly meeting and a public open house to discuss Formerly Used Defense Sites on Kodiak Island. An update was provided on sites currently being worked on including Drury Gulch, Buskin Beach, Airport Staging Area, and Building A-711 Jeff Brownlee
3/19/2009 Meeting or Teleconference Held Contaminated Sites staff participated in an annual scoping meeting with the Corps of Engineers, EPA and Coast Guard for the Kodiak FUDS projects. Agenda items included review of the 2008 field season, and planned investigations and remedial actions at Building A-711, Airport Staging Area and various Coast Guard Sites including the Lube Pits, Building A-141, Buskin Beach, and the Asphalt Disposal Area Jeff Brownlee
8/21/2015 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Contaminated Sites staff reviewed the draft 2015 Groundwater Monitoring Work Plan for Buskin Beach Asphalt Disposal Area, Buskin Beach Building A-141, and Airport Staging Area and submitted comments to the Army Corps of Engineers. The 2015 work plan involves collecting groundwater samples for analysis from the network of six monitoring wells that were installed at the Buskin Beach Asphalt Disposal Area in 2004. The monitoring wells were last sampled for analysis in 2007, at which time the groundwater sample analytical results for all six wells indicated that contaminant concentrations were below the applicable 18 AAC 75 Table C groundwater cleanup levels; although sheen was observed in one of the six monitoring wells. Field work is currently scheduled for implementation in September 2015. Curtis Dunkin
3/6/2018 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC reviewed EPA's draft 2017 Natives of Kodiak Redevelopment Area Phase I Environmental Assessment Report and submitted its comments to the EPA. Curtis Dunkin
7/9/2019 Update or Other Action Site location was updated on this date. Coordinates for this site are used to determine the presence and position of the site on BLM’s ANCSA Conveyed Land web map. Rebekah Reams
4/8/2020 Meeting or Teleconference Held ADEC participated in a technical planning and project prioritization meeting via web/teleconference with project delivery team representatives from the US Army Corps of Engineers, US Coast Guard, Natives of Kodiak, and US Bureau of Land Management. Curtis Dunkin
8/11/2020 Meeting or Teleconference Held ADEC participated in an annual planning meeting with representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers, the US Coast Guard, and the Environmental Protection Agency for the purpose of providing respective status updates on the site action prioritization and project implementation schedules for all four Kodiak Buskin Beach and the Burma Road Formerly Used Defense Sites. Curtis Dunkin
8/17/2020 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC reviewed and provided comments on the Draft Buskin Beach ADA Groundwater Monitoring Work Plan. This work plan details the sampling of five monitoring wells at the asphalt disposal area. All wells are planned to be sampled in September 2020, and again in March 2021. Sammi Castle
9/16/2020 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC approved the Final Buskin Beach Asphalt Disposal Area Groundwater Monitoring Work Plan in a letter dated September 16, 2020. Sammi Castle
7/20/2021 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC reviewed the draft 2021 Groundwater Monitoring Work Plan and submitted comments to the Army Corps of Engineers. Curtis Dunkin
8/31/2021 Site Visit ADEC traveled to Kodiak and participated in two days of inaugural annual project delivery team meetings, site visits and field inspections for the Buskin Beach Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) with representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Natives of Kodiak, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Coast Guard, and their respective contracted technical support representatives. Stakeholders conducted two full days of project planning and prioritization meetings, site visits and field inspections of the Buskin Beach FUDS sites. Curtis Dunkin
9/28/2021 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC received and reviewed the final 2021 Groundwater Monitoring Work Plan and submitted a final approval letter to the Army Corps of Engineers. Curtis Dunkin
3/23/2022 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC reviewed the draft 2022 Groundwater Sampling (2020-21) and Site Status Summary Report and submitted comments to the Army Corps of Engineers. Curtis Dunkin
6/17/2022 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC reviewed the responses to comments for the draft 2022 Buskin Beach ADA 2020-21 Groundwater Monitoring Report and submitted review determinations and additional comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Curtis Dunkin
8/23/2022 Site Visit ADEC traveled to Kodiak, AK and participated in two full days of annual project delivery team meetings and site visits with stakeholders that included representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Natives of Kodiak, Inc. Curtis Dunkin
5/2/2023 Site Visit ADEC staff traveled to Kodiak, AK and participated in two full days of annual project delivery team meetings and site visits together with stakeholder representatives from ADEC, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Natives of Kodiak. The objectives of the annual project delivery team meetings and site visits included discussing the status and prioritization of site cleanup and management efforts, project implementation schedules, and inspecting and confirming land use status and current site conditions at each of the Buskin Beach Formerly Used Defense Sites. Curtis Dunkin

Contaminant Information

Name Level Description Media Comments

Control Type

Type Details

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Description Details

No associated sites were found.

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