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Site Report: St Law NEC Site 10 Buried Drums

Site Name: St Law NEC Site 10 Buried Drums
Address: Northeast Cape, Saint Lawrence Island, Savoonga, AK 99769
File Number: 475.38.013
Hazard ID: 216
Status: Active
Staff: Erica Blake, 9074512182 erica.blake@alaska.gov
Latitude: 63.311197
Longitude: -168.960928
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

Site operated 1957-1972. There are 29 separate sites associated with the main facility not including the White Alice site (Site 31) which is uphill about 1/2 mile. Site 30 is the name given to the various background sampling areas. This site is directly across Cargo Beach Road from Site 9. The site was used as a drum storage areas and has surface staining and exceeds action levels for petroleum in soil. The site was once thought to contain several thousand drums. However subsequent investigation including geophysics showed six or seven buried drums. EPA ID # D981765894. DERP/FUDS. See 475.15.006 for additional information. (rpltr3.1) Last staff assigned were Noland, Ortelee, Markey, Kalu, Rutkowski and Brownlee. A Building Demolition/Debris Removal was completed in 2003. All the buildings, above ground structures and debris were removed including those at the White Alice site.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
3/1/2004 Site Added to Database Split out 17 new sites from main "Saint Lawrence NE Cape/DERP-Army", site, Reckey 198532X917901. Jeff Brownlee
3/1/2004 Site Ranked Using the AHRM Copied latest AHRM Score from main site, "Saint Lawrence NE Cape/DERP-Army", Reckey 198532X917901. Jeff Brownlee
9/15/2006 Update or Other Action Contaminated Sites staff reviewed and commented on a draft Feasibility Study for the Northeast Cape Formerly Used Defense Site on Saint Lawrence Island. No further action is proposed for 17 out of 30 sites at the facility. The study presents several remedial alternatives for the remaining sites including containment such as capping, insitu such as chemical oxidation and ex-situ treatments such as incineration or excavation and off site disposal. Limited actions such as natural attenuation, long-tem monitoring and institutional controls are also evaluated. The study does not attempt to choose specific alternatives, but evaluates the balancing criteria including cost for each individual site. Remedial alternatives will be chosen during development of the Proposed Plan. It is probable that many of the sites will have chosen remedies that are a combination of the presented alternatives for example excavation and off-site disposal combined with institutional controls and long-term monitoring Jeff Brownlee
6/15/2007 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Jeff Brownlee
7/10/2007 Proposed Plan Final Approved. Jeff Brownlee
7/24/2007 Meeting or Teleconference Held Contaminated Sites staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting, public meeting and tribal meeting to introduce the proposed plan for the Northeast Cape FUDS. The meetings were held in Gambell and Savoonga and were well attended with high interest from the community. Alaska Community Action on Toxins (ACAT), the Technical Assistance Program (TAP) coordinator, corporation attorney, and Corps of Engineers were represented at the meeting. The proposed plan outlines the preferred remedies for the 34 sites at the facility Jeff Brownlee
11/1/2007 Site Characterization Report Approved Contaminated Sites staff reviewed a geophysical prove out report for an investigation of two sites at the Northeast Cape Formerly Used Defense Site. Site 7 is an unpermitted landfill that has a topographic high point that was in question of being a natural feature or buried debris. The investigation indicates the feature is natural and that debris was side cast off the point. Site 7 and Site 10 both have known buried drums containing fluid and the investigation was designed to target anomalies for future intrusive investigation to determine if any other fluid filled drums remain buried Jeff Brownlee
11/7/2008 Update or Other Action Contaminated Sites staff reviewed a draft Decision Document for the Northeast Cape Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) on Saint Lawrence Island. There are several sites at the former surveillance station and White Alice Site to be remediated. The Headquarters Area has extensive diesel range organics impacting soil and groundwater. An insitu chemical oxidation pilot test will be done at a portion of this area to assess effectiveness for treating the larger contaminant mass. The drainage and wetlands below the Headquarters Area is planned for dredging or excavation of the more highly impacted sediments. There are several sites that will be excavated for petroleum and Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) soil contamination. There will be institutional controls on several areas including two landfills, areas with residual petroleum impacts and shallow groundwater use controls Jeff Brownlee
9/12/2011 Site Visit ADEC conducted multiple site visits and inspections of 2011 remedial work being implemented sitewide. Curtis Dunkin
10/13/2015 Meeting or Teleconference Held CS staff participated in the semiannual Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting which was conducted in Savoonga, AK on Saint Lawrence Island. Participants included representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers, ADEC, Savoonga residents and RAB members, the Alaska Community Action on Toxics, and the University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA). The agenda included presentations by the Army Corps which summarized the 2014 and 2015 remedial efforts and results. The Army Corps conducted the last major removal and offsite disposal actions in 2014 and conducted groundwater monitoring at the Main Operations Complex in 2015; the 2015 draft report is pending. Dr. Frank von Hippel of UAA presented a summary of the results from a multi-year fish tissue sampling and analysis study to evaluate PCBs in Nine-spine Stickleback and AK Blackfish in the Suqi River; the drainage of which flows through the Northeast Cape FUDS. Curtis Dunkin
1/9/2017 CERCLA Removal Action Report ADEC received the Final 2014 Northeast Cape Removal Action Report (which is dated May 2016), and submitted final approval of the report to the Army Corps of Engineers. Site characterization and removal action requirements that are outlined in the 2009 Decision Document were conducted in consecutive years since 2009 and were completed in 2014. Future and ongoing work planned within the current five-year review period (2014-2018) includes monitoring as well as follow-on sampling and analyses of surface waters, sediments, groundwater, and soils; including the development and implementation of land use controls, and notices of environmental contamination with the landowner. Curtis Dunkin
6/1/2018 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC reviewed the draft 2018 Remedial Action Review Work Plan and submitted comments to the Army Corps of Engineers. Curtis Dunkin
6/1/2018 CERCLA ROD Periodic Review ADEC reviewed the draft 2018 Post Removal Action Review Work Plan and submitted comments to the Army Corps of Engineers. The objectives of the 2018 work plan effort are to support the five-year and period reviews to be conducted by the Corps in 2018-19. Curtis Dunkin
8/6/2018 Site Visit ADEC project manager traveled to Northeast Cape, Saint Lawrence Island, overnighted two nights onsite, and conducted three days of site inspections and field work observations with representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers and their technical contracted support who were implementing the 2018 Long-term Monitoring and Addendum Site Investigation Work Plan. Curtis Dunkin
11/15/2018 Meeting or Teleconference Held ADEC project manager participated in a technical project planning meeting with representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers and their contracted technical support staff to discuss the preliminary laboratory analysis results and field activities, as well as the prospective reporting of the 2018 long-term monitoring and addendum investigation efforts. Curtis Dunkin
2/15/2019 CERCLA ROD Periodic Review CERCLA Five-year Review Questionnaire Submitted: ADEC completed its responses to the questionnaire (5 pages) for the prospective draft Second CERCLA Five-year Review for the Northeast Cape FUDS sites and submitted its responses to the Army Corps of Engineers. Scheduled distribution date of the draft review report is May 2019. Curtis Dunkin
3/20/2020 CERCLA ROD Periodic Review ADEC reviewed the draft 2019 Second Multi-site Sitewide Periodic Review Report and submitted comments to the Army Corps of Engineers. Curtis Dunkin
6/30/2020 CERCLA ROD Periodic Review ADEC received and reviewed the responses to comments from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the draft 2019 Second CERCLA Multi-Site Periodic Review. Curtis Dunkin
7/27/2020 CERCLA ROD Periodic Review ADEC received and reviewed additional responses to comments and participated in a resolution meeting for the draft 2019 Second CERCLA Periodic Review Report with representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers and their contracted technical support. Curtis Dunkin
6/16/2022 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other ADEC reviewed an additional second round of responses to comments for the draft 2022 Work Plan and submitted review determinations and approval to finalize the work plan document to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Curtis Dunkin
8/2/2022 Site Visit ADEC staff traveled to Northeast Cape and conducted three days of field inspections and site visits in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers' implementation of the 2022 Work Plan effort that includes site 28 sediment removal and various follow-up actions at multiple sites from the Second Five-year and Periodic Reviews. The field team's mobilization to the site began in mid July and field work is anticipated to continue through the month of August. Additional site characterization is being conducted at site 8 and removal actions are occurring at the sites 15 and 28. Curtis Dunkin
8/18/2023 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC provided review comments for two draft Explanation of Significant Differences (ESDs) to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. The two ESDs were for multiple sites at Northeast Cape FUDS. The documents discuss the need to place covenants on several sites with remaining contamination. DEC recommended the covenants be completed, and signed prior to finalization of the ESD documents. Erica Blake
1/31/2024 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other DEC provided comments for the "Draft Visual Site Inspection Work Plan Northeast Cape Formerly Used Defense Site Remedial Action – Operations, Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska (dated January 2024)" to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. The work plan describes proposed visual inspection activities as part of the Third Periodic Review for multiple sites at Northeast Cape on Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska. Erica Blake

Contaminant Information

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