Site Report: GSA Juneau Federal Building
| Site Name: | GSA Juneau Federal Building |
|---|---|
| Address: | 709 West 9th Street, and D Street, Juneau, AK 99802 |
| File Number: | 1513.38.032 |
| Hazard ID: | 1982 |
| Status: | Active |
| Staff: | Jenny Gates, 9072628203 jenny.gates@alaska.gov |
| Latitude: | 58.301400 |
| Longitude: | -134.420200 |
| 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
There were three sources of contamination at the Juneau Federal Building: a 1,000-gallon underground storage tank (UST), a 50,000-gallon UST, and PCB contamination from a snowmelt system. PCB contamination was identified in 1991 during an asbestos abatement project when workers discovered oil leaks in the basement of the building, which prompted sampling for PCBs. In 1995, PCB abatement activities were conducted in the basement parking garage, boiler room, outdoor tiled surfaces, and surface soil in from the lawn and planter areas. Sampling results indicated PCB contamination remains in the basement garage and boiler room areas. In addition PCBs were identified in the exterior building caulking. Mitigation measures have included encapsulation or removal of PCB containing paint. A 1,000-gallon diesel UST which was used for emergency power generation was removed in March of 1995. Suspected petroleum contamination was found near the tank fill pipe and as a result, 3.5 cubic yards (y3) of soil was placed directly into Supersacks. The excavation continued until the tank was lifted from the ground. The depth of the excavation was approximately 6.5 ft. and the surface area was 8.5 by 16 ft. The excavation was bounded by the edge of the generator tower concrete pad. The results of the analyses found DRO at the base of the excavation at 180 ppm. The DRO concentration below the vent fill riser was 13,000 ppm. The 50,000-gallon UST which held both heating oil and bunker C oil, was excavated in July, 1994. The UST was located on the north side of the Federal Building in a grassy area bounded by Gold Creek on the northeast side, 9th Street on the on the northwest side, and by a parking an drive area in front of the building. Four and a half cubic yards of contaminated soil was excavated from around the tank. there was no detectable petroleum contamination beneath the tank but there was DRO contamination up to 19,800 parts-per-million (ppm) below the fill pipe northwest of the tank. Concentrations of BTEX were also present at about 0.5-1.0 ppm. TPH results from near the fill pipe were similar having concentrations up to 31,000 ppm. HVO results found tetrachloroethene (PCE) at 0.105 ppm, 1,4-dichlorobenzene at 0.122ppm, and 1,2-dichlorobenzene at 0.032 ppm.
Action Information
| Action Date | Action | Description | DEC Staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/1/1994 | Update or Other Action | Heating oil tank release at vent pipe. UST was removed but structures prevented removing all contaminated soil. Transfer from UST program. | Bruce Wanstall |
| 10/14/1994 | Update or Other Action | (Old R:Base Action Code = MS - Monitoring/Sampling). PCB sampling revealed levels in the .0003 to 10% range. | Former Staff |
| 11/2/1994 | Site Added to Database | Emcon submitted report dated May 1994 regarding "Site Characterization and Remedial Action Recommendations, General Services Administration Federal Building and Court House, Juneau, Alaska." | Former Staff |
| 1/1/1996 | Update or Other Action | Shannon and Wilson report "PCB Abatement Assessment Delivery Order 0016 GSA Federal Building Juneau, Alaska." Soil samples taken from some of the small lawn and planter areas. Six sample locations out of 28 contained PCB concentrations > 1.0 ppm. Highest concentrations in top 1" of soil with exception of two locations. Impacted soil and vegetation were removed from the western planter and fountain areas. | Sally Schlichting |
| 1/15/1996 | Site Ranked Using the AHRM | Initial ranking. | Sally Schlichting |
| 3/15/2001 | Update or Other Action | File Review: Gold Creek is 35 feet from the building. It is a concrete lined flume in this area and cannot harbor contaminated sediments. PCBs from the site may have entered the creek and migrated to nearby Gastineau Channel intertidal sediments. This pathway has not been evaluated as far as I could tell from the file information. These comments were updated by Bill Janes 3/15/01 in association with the POPs project. | Bill Janes |
| 12/10/2001 | Update or Other Action | Project tickler update - no action taken at this time. | Bill Janes |
| 2/7/2002 | Update or Other Action | Project tickler update - Took another look at the 1996 Shannon and Wilson report. PCB-contaminated soil from the western planter areas and fountain were removed during the abatement project. It appears very unlikely that PCBs would have entered the Gold Creek flume. However, even if de minimis amounts did enter the flume the concentrations in intertidal sediments should be very low since total PCBs in soils adjacent to the building were < 2 ppm. Site closure appears appropriate. Need to write a closure letter to GSA as next project tickler action. | Bill Janes |
| 4/22/2008 | Exposure Tracking Model Ranking | Initial ranking with ETM completed. | Evonne Reese |
| 8/7/2015 | Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other | ETM Revised. Priority revised. Reviewed reports and re-ranked to indicate commercial use and only small potential for future exposure. Initial ranking showed current exposure in basement. | Fred Vreeman |
| 8/7/2015 | Exposure Tracking Model Ranking | Initial ranking with ETM completed for source area id: 72960 name: (PCBs) snowmelt system/caulking | Fred Vreeman |
| 4/26/2016 | Update or Other Action | Site reassigned for evaluation of cleanup requirements and follow up by project manager | Fred Vreeman |
| 5/31/2016 | Update or Other Action | Discussed site with GSA. Additional work has been done to address PCB contamination issues. Will request copies of reports reflecting current conditions. | Melody Debenham |
| 6/15/2016 | Potentially Responsible Party/State Interest Letter | Sent PRP letter and letter requesting copies of reports documenting current site status. | Melody Debenham |
| 7/27/2016 | Update or Other Action | Received copy of PCB Paint Assessment dated January 2012. Document provides a summary of previous work in 1994, 2001, 2002, 2005, and 2006. | Melody Debenham |
| 5/30/2018 | Meeting or Teleconference Held | Met with the GSA to discuss site needs. | Danielle Duncan |
| 8/7/2019 | Update or Other Action | Per the GSA, they are presently in the process of contracting a new PCB study for the building. They hope to have it contracted by the middle of Sept. | Danielle Duncan |
| 2/22/2023 | Update or Other Action | Have reached out twice in February to connect with the GSA to talk about the status of the site. Called general GSA region 10 office and got an updated number. Database is updated. | Flannery Ballard |
| 2/28/2023 | Site Visit | While GSA was in town, the DEC performed a site visit to see the boiler room and the exterior of the building where pertinent PCB releases may have occurred. The 2020 report mentioned high levels of PCBs in the sediments in the troughs of the boiler room, but upon inspection these sediments were actually accumulated dust from the floor of the boiler room and did not meet the DEC definition of "sediments". A series of improvements have been made to the exterior of the building, and PCB containing caulk has been slowly replaced. The GSA will send updated reports as to the remaining PCB caulk on the building. Spoke with the GSA team about pursuing closure, and potential data gaps. | Flannery Ballard |
Contaminant Information
| Name | Level Description | Media | Comments |
|---|
Control Type
| Type | Details |
|---|
Requirements
| Description | Details |
|---|
| Hazard ID | Site Name | File Number |
|---|---|---|
| 24533 | GSA Juneau Federal Building LUST | 1513.38.032 |