Site Report: St Law Gambell Si 02,3 Burial Areas

Site Name:	St Law Gambell Si 02,3 Burial Areas
Address:	Gambell Village Area, Gambell, AK 99742
File Number:	660.38.006
Hazard ID:	225
Status:	Cleanup Complete
Staff:	Dennis Shepard, 9074512180 dennis.shepard@alaska.gov
Latitude:	63.779748
Longitude:	-171.694256
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.

Site Chronology
IC / Closure Details
Documents
Associated Sites

Problems/Comments

Site in and near village was used by the Army, Air Force and Navy from 1948 and abandoned in 1950s. The majority of contaminants were petroleum in soils. There were also low level PCBs and dioxins. Buried debris which occasionally surfaces from erosion or new construction has been a problem in the community. Unexploded ordnance reportedly buried near or in Troutman Lake. The investigation did not locate any ammo caches. See the Gambell facility wide site for a full list of actions. Site 2 is about 1000-feet south of the Air Force Landing Site. Exposed debris was removed in 1997. A quantity of stained soil was removed in 1999. The COE determined that the contamination did not originate from DOD activity and the removal was stopped. Additional subsurface and groundwater invesitigation did not indicate contamintion over Method 2 default numbers. Site 3 is about 700-feet south of North Beach near the base of Sevuokuk Mountain. Buried debris from a former communications facility is suspected in the area. Surface debris was cleaned up in 1997. A surface and subsurface soil investigation showed no contaminants above cleanup levels. The Gambell site extends west from North Beach to West Beach, south to Nayvaghaq Lake, and east to include portions of Sevuokuk Mountain. The site encompasses the Village of Gambell. Last staff assigned were Noland, Ortelee, Kalu, Stephens, Rutkowski and Brownlee. (rpltr6)

Action Information

Action Date	Action	Description	DEC Staff
3/1/1992	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = SI - Site Investigation). "Draft - Chemical Data Acquisition Plan, Site Inventory Update, Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island" dated 3/1/92 by Ecology and Environment proposes site investigation for Gambell area.	Former Staff
5/27/1992	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = SI - Site Investigation). Reviewed sampling workplan. sampling to occur summer 1993.	Laura Noland
6/1/1992	Site Added to Database	DERP-FUD.	Former Staff
6/1/1992	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = CORR - Correspondence (General)). Reviewed site investigation plan for Gambell and sent comments to Corps. Requested pesticide sampling at asphalt dump.	Laura Noland
7/24/1992	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Corps of Engineers and ADEC met with City and Corporation representatives to discuss Gambell project. The villagers were warned to stay away from the debris and that any ordnance should be reported to the Corps.	Former Staff
7/24/1992	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = RECN - Site Reconnaissance (CS)). Corps of Engineers, consultant and ADEC conducted site reconnaissance. Extensive asbestos, approximately 20 transformers and fuel contaminated soils were noted.	Former Staff
11/9/1992	Preliminary Assessment Approved	Received Site Inventory for Gambell dated 10/92 and completed by Ecology and Environment. Document identifies 17 out of 18 possible contaminated sites which are eligible for DERP cleanup.	Former Staff
11/9/1992	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = SI - Site Investigation). Received Draft Final Chemical Data Acquisition Plan dated 10/92 completed by Ecology and Environment. Document outlines sampling plan for future site investigation. 12 if 18 identified sites to be sampled.	Former Staff
12/8/1992	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = CORR - Correspondence (General)). ADEC sent comments regarding Draft Chemical Data Acquisition Plan. Most critical issue is lack of funding for project and reports of unexploded ordnance near village and in Troutman Lake.	Former Staff
12/11/1992	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = CORR - Correspondence (General)). ADEC requested information from Colonel at Corps of Engineers regarding priority of Saint Lawrence Island DERP-FUDS and expected schedule of events.	Former Staff
5/5/1993	Proposed Plan	ADEC received site Inventory and chemical data acquisition plan submitted for removal/disposal action to occur at site(dependent upon funding). Question on two sites: 10 and 18 - sampling should be done at these sites.	Marcus Ortelee
5/5/1993	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = CORR - Correspondence (General)). Final document for removal at site. Comments sent back on plan for removal action. COE will submit for FY94 funding to begin this process.	Marcus Ortelee
12/7/1993	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = RI - Remedial Investigation). Contract DACA85-93-D-0011 awarded for limited RI of Gambell, including drilling, sampling and a final report.	Former Staff
12/16/1993	Site Ranked Using the AHRM	Reviewed this site for ranking but determined that there isn't enough information. The site consists of 18 different areas that have a large amount of solid waste, unexploded munitions, broken batteries, empty barrels and soil stains. When sampling and test results are received, a determination may be made that this site should actually be 4 or 6 different sites, based on different contaminants and different areas within the site that may therefore be addressed with different levels of priority and with different workplans.	Dennis Harwood
1/9/1994	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = RPL2 - Site Information Request Letter). Sent PRP-CS Database Notification Letter to RP requesting update and more environmental information concerning contaminated site. RP received letter, but as of this "complete date" no response.	Jeff Peterson
1/2/1996	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = SI - Site Investigation). FINAL Investigative-Derived Waste handling Report/Gambell and Northeast Cape/Saint Lawrence Island	Kalu Kalu
1/5/1996	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = RI - Remedial Investigation). Received a RI report. Seventeen sites were investigated. Elevated DRO found in surface and subsurface soils near infiltration gallery for public water supply (Site 5). Dioxins and lead found at Site 4B. Additional work identified and will be conducted as Phase II.	Katarina Rutkowski
1/15/1997	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = RI - Remedial Investigation). The department received a Draft Phase II RI Report. This report included human health and ecological risk assessments. These sections were sent out for term contractor review. A comment resolution meeting was held 1/21/1998 to discuss document and risk assessments. Additional work will be done at Site 4B and 5 (soil removal and monitoring well installation, respectively).	Katarina Rutkowski
3/21/1997	Update or Other Action	Site updated by Shannon and Wilson based on the FUDS Site Summary dated 2/21/96.	S&W
11/10/1997	Update or Other Action	(Old R:Base Action Code = RI - Remedial Investigation). Received draft report for Geophysical Anomaly Investigation that occurred during the 1997 field season. Residents reported that transformers had been buried near the infiltration gallery that is used for their public water supply. There were two geophysical anomalies in the area of the reported buried transformers. The Corps excavated the anomalies and found inert debris.	Katarina Rutkowski
10/1/1998	Interim Removal Action Approved	Area 5.	Katarina Rutkowski
3/9/1999	Update or Other Action	Phase II RI report on area 5. VSW went over report. No results over MCLs. A couple of low VOC detections were attributed to lab interference.	Jeff Brownlee
3/9/1999	Interim Removal Action Approved	Interim Removal Action CON/HTRW work plan for debris removal and various spot removals including low level dioxin soil at site 4B.	Jeff Brownlee
10/15/1999	Update or Other Action	Dioxin was present at site 4B at levels below regulatory cleanup, however a removal action was undertaken because of community concern. One detection of DRO over the drinking water cleanup levels was noted in 1998 from a monitoring well near the drinking water intake well. Sampling of the of the drinking water supply well before and after treatment has not has not detected any contaminants (verbal on last sampling from Montgomery Watson). The issue of most concern in the village seems to be buried debris. Buried military debris was encountered during expansion of the high school in 1996-97 which caused a lot of concern in the community. The COE did not consider the debris FUDS eligible.	Jeff Brownlee
4/25/2000	Update or Other Action	UXO work plan for geophysical search of Troutman Lake (on the ice) looking for supposedly discarded small arms ammo. We used our subcontractor Geophex to do the review. Phase II of the work will occur this summer looking for other small arms (and possible hand grenades) supposedly buried in trenches near the village.	Jeff Brownlee
5/15/2000	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Staff attended a RAB meeting at Savoonga for the Gambell and NE Cape FUDS sites.	Jeff Brownlee
6/19/2000	Update or Other Action	Staff prepared a Request For Proposal for a contractor review of a COE Ordnance and Explosive Waste (OEW) work plan. This work is Phase II of a project to locate and possibly remove OEW in the vicinity of the village of Gambell. Phase I work attempted to locate small arms ammunition that has allegedly been disposed of in Troutman Lake. The Phase II work will be using geophysics to look for OEW supposedly buried in trenches near the village during the military pullout about 1957.	Jeff Brownlee
7/18/2000	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Comment resolution meeting on Gambell UXO Phase II work plan. All the outstanding comments provided by the ADEC contractor, Geophex, were adequately addressed during the call and a revised work plan issued. Note: Not enough review time was planned by the Huntsville contractor and the review ended up being rushed.	Jeff Brownlee
7/21/2000	Update or Other Action	Staff reviewed a draft IRA report for a debris removal and con/htw removal at Gambell performed in 1999. The report lacked basic mechanisms of complete IRA report including ARARs discussion, discussion of history and past investigations. It does not appear that screening or confirmation sampling was properly performed at several impacted soil removal areas.	Jeff Brownlee
9/15/2000	Update or Other Action	Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program funding has been available for Gambell. Geophysical screening was performed in August 2000. Geophysical screening was also done for four areas of suspected buried UXO near the village and on the northern third of Troutman Lake. A large amount of small arms ammunition was reportedly towed onto the lake during the winter and sunk through the ice. The investigation did not locate any large ammo caches. Further investigation of the remainder of the lake may be necessary.	Jeff Brownlee
11/3/2000	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Staff participated in the quarterly RAB meeting. Discussion about Gambell included discussion of the NALMP work (geophysics work for buried debris) and the coincidental finding of contamination during construction and debris removal.	Jeff Brownlee
1/8/2001	Update or Other Action	prepared contracted review comments on an after-action Ordnance and Explosive Waste (OEW) report. The COE Huntsville performed the two-phase investigation. Troutman Lake, adjacent to the village, was investigated through the ice last spring and four areas in and near the village were investigated last summer. Historical and witness evidence indicated that large caches of small arms ammo and hand grenades were disposed of in the lake and buried at the four suspected disposal sites. Approximately 800 rounds of small arms ammo was found at site D south of Troutman Lake. No other geophysical anomalies were shown to be OEW. Search areas for two sites including Troutman Lake may not have been adequate. Grid spacing and target size are also in question. Field practices did not adhere to the quality assurance expectations agreed to in the workplan. Also at issue in the report is that small arms ammo is considered to not be OEW. There are an unknown quantity of small arms ammo at the above mentioned sites and throughout the area. By eliminated the ammo from the definition of OEW, the COE has tried to eliminate evaluating risk from OEW and minimize any future work.	Jeff Brownlee
3/30/2001	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Staff (Brownlee, Haar) participated in a RAB meeting for the NE Cape and Gambell FUDS. There was good participation and discussion from the RAB and community members on the work done at NE Cape this summer. There was concern expressed about several sites where debris quantities exceeded contract estimates. RAB members wanted to know if and when these excess amounts of debris would be addressed. Concern was also expressed about the HTW cleanup at a couple sites including PCBs at the former septic tank area and stained soil/drums at Site 25 (Directional Antennae). The TAPP grant was finally awarded and the contractor (Dr. Ron Scrudato - State U. of New York) participated by phone at the RAB meeting. Dr. Scrudato will be reviewing the RI/FS workplan currently in review status.	Jeff Brownlee
6/22/2001	Update or Other Action	Staff commented on a Final CON/HTW and Debris Removal Report. Oil Spill Consultants performed the work for the COE in 1999. Contaminated soils were removed from several areas associated with former military activity around the village. Confirmation samples were taken without using any screening methods. Excavations will have to be opened and resampled to confirm cleanup.	Jeff Brownlee
9/4/2001	Update or Other Action	Staff reviewed a draft Supplemental Remedial Investigation Workplan for this former early warning radar site. A Phase I and II investigation have been completed. Based on a report prepared the COE Huntsville Technical Engineering (TEC) section, new evidence of possible contaminated areas were found. The information is mostly in the form of historic Community concerns documented in a COE "Strategic Project Implementation Plan (SPIP) were also incorporated into the workplan. Field work is planned for the second and third week of September and involves mostly soil boring and surface soil sampling.	Jeff Brownlee
3/11/2002	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board meeting for Northeast Cape and Gambell. Also participating in the meeting was the TAPP grant manager, Alaska Community Action on Toxins, ATSDR, the COE and their contractor. Dr. Bob Johnson with ATSDR presented information on the Reindeer Health Consultation. PAHs were found in low concentrations in reindeer tissue, but at levels well below benchmarks that would be considered a health risk at conservative subsistence use values. It was discussed that the reindeer range over the entire island and contaminant correlation with a particular site would be difficult. The Phase III investigation performed in Gambell was discussed.	Jeff Brownlee
7/10/2002	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board meeting in Savoonga for the Northeast Cape and Gambell FUDS. An approximately $10 million contract for work at the Northeast Cape site will be awarded to a contractor this week. The work will include BD/DR of the remaining buildings including the lower White Alice site facility and some HTW work. Work on a Phase III investigation may continue this fall at Northeast Cape if the contracting can be completed before the end of the season.	Jeff Brownlee
7/11/2002	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Staff participated in a public meeting in Gambell to address the unexploded ordnance issues in and around the village. The COE investigation appeared adequate for ordnance allegedly disposed of in Troutman Lake and several burial sites around the village. The only Ordnance or Explosive Waste (OEW) found were small arms ammunition in an open burn open detonation pit south of Troutman Lake. A public education program will be implemented by the COE in the case that a resident does find OEW items.	Jeff Brownlee
2/25/2003	Update or Other Action	Staff reviewed a workplan for a Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP) removal action at Gambell, scheduled for this summer. The work focuses on two former military dump sites that were generated from the early warning radar and communication facility operating during the 1950’s. The work is being prompted because the landfills are under the footprint of planned new housing and a Fire Hall. Gambell has had problems with buried military debris being encountered during construction projects in the past, most notably at the high school. Geophysics surveys have been performed over the areas and will help to guide the excavation boundaries.	Jeff Brownlee
8/5/2003	Meeting or Teleconference Held	CS staff attended a Restoration Advisory Board meeting at Gambell for FUDS on Saint Lawrence Island. The meeting discussed an update of the NALEMP (Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program) project that is going on at Gambell and an update of the cleanup progress at Northeast Cape. The NALEMP project is addressing debris under the footprint of some future HUD housing. So far about 700 empty drums and miscellaneous metal debris have been removed from the scoped work area. Only small amounts of POL contamination has been noted usually associated with oil filters. The COE contractor at Northeast Cape is making rapid progress with taking down the buildings. It appears that they will be finished with the contracted scope of work this season instead of needing the projected two seasons. If the COE decides to exercise optional task work they will need to pay the contractor to keep the camp and equipment on site for the winter or pay for another mobilization. The TAPP (Technical Assistance Program Plan) grant contract expires the end of September. There was some contention at the meeting over the COE suggesting that the current TAPP grant coordinator may have a conflict of interest because he is doing other work on the island with ACAT (Alaska Community Action on Toxins), although he is not being paid for that work. The contract has to go out for bid according to TAPP contract regulation, but of course the community and ACAT want to maintain continuity with the current provider. There was also some emotional concern expressed over the perceived high cancer incidence on the island.	Jeff Brownlee
1/8/2004	Update or Other Action	CS staff reviewed a draft Feasibility Study for FUDS at Gambell on Saint Lawrence Island. Cleanup decisions for a few sites will depend on DEC approval of a 350 determination for no groundwater use. Most of these areas have little or no groundwater in the active lens over permafrost. Three sites will require further remedial action for lead in soil, UXO (small arms ammo) in surface soil and surface debris that is considered unsafe near the airstrip.	Jeff Brownlee
1/22/2004	Meeting or Teleconference Held	CS staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board meeting for the FUDS on Saint Lawrence Island. Also participating were approximately 20 RAB members, Alaska Community Action on Toxins (ACAT), the RAB Technical Assistance Program (TAP) coordinator, the attorney for the two Saint Lawrence Island Native Corporations and a reporter for KALM radio in Nome. A summary report was presented of the building demolition/debris removal work done last summer at Northeast Cape. All of the buildings at the White Alice Site and the main Headquarters area have been removed. The COE is intending to award optional contracts for 2005 to remove some remaining items including the tram system to the former radar facility on a nearby mountain. CS staff summarized the characterization effort to date by site and discussed data gaps. The COE has decided to do one more investigation to address these data gaps. The investigation is planned for this summer and will include several groundwater monitoring wells. The Feasibility Study that was done for Gambell was discussed. Three sites remain that require a remedial action. Two sites need some additional hydrogeology information to support the proposed Method Two ingestion cleanup level. The Gambell NALEMP (Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program) report was also discussed. Approximately 50-tons of metallic debris from two former landfills were removed. The debris was mixed empty drums, Marston matting, engine parts, cable, piping and miscellaneous scrap. About 3-tons of incidental contaminated soil was containerized in super sacks and disposed off island with the metal debris. Confirmation sampling showed excavation limit results below Method Two cleanup levels.	Jeff Brownlee
3/1/2004	Site Number Identifier Changed	Changed Sequence Number from 02 to 19 to allow for 17 duplicates of Reckey 198532X917901.	Former Staff
3/31/2004	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board meeting for the FUDS on Saint Lawrence Island. The Feasibility Study for Gambell was discussed as well as the upcoming Proposed Plan. Dr. Ron Scrudato (New York State University) is the Technical Assistant Program coordinator for the RAB. Dr. Scrudato gave a briefing on the findings of a grant study he is doing in coordination with Alaska Community Action on Toxins (ACAT). The grant is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and focuses on human health and environmental contamination on Saint Lawrence Island. Sampling of sediment, air and plant tissue for PCBs is showing point source contribution at Northeast Cape and also assumed global contribution at both Northeast Cape and Gambell. By analyzing individual congeners the vapor pressure and likely transport mode and relative time of deposition (sediment) can be determined. The RAB also discussed the upcoming remedial investigation at Northeast Cape this summer	Jeff Brownlee
7/21/2004	Proposed Plan	Staff participated in a public meeting held in Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island to introduce the Gambell FUDS work Proposed Plan. The Corps of Engineers, Alaska Community Action on Toxics, several community members and the DEC participated in the meeting. The sites that require further remediation were discussed as were the sites proposed for No Further Action. The community had several questions mostly relating to the area hydrology, unexploded ordinance and buried debris. Most concerns seemed to be addressed adequately during discussion. The public review period for the plan will be through the end of August	Jeff Brownlee
8/4/2004	Update or Other Action	CS staff reviewed a workplan for a Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP) project in Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island. The project will remove debris that is sporadically exposed near the school and along popular 4-wheeler and snow machine routes. The DEC reviewed the plan to address contingencies for any coincidental contaminated soil encountered during excavations	Jeff Brownlee
9/9/2004	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Contaminated Sites staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting in Savoonga for Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) on Saint Lawrence Island. The meeting was facilitated by a representative of the Keystone Center and attended by members of Alaska Community Action on Toxins, the Technical Assistance Program (TAP) coordinator and members of the RAB. The status of work at Gambell was discussed including the Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP) project and work planned for next year to address the cleanup issues discussed in the Gambell Proposed Plan. The ongoing Phase IV investigation work currently being performed at Northeast Cape was also discussed	Jeff Brownlee
12/3/2004	Site Ranked Using the AHRM		Jeff Brownlee
12/16/2004	Update or Other Action	Contaminated Sites staff reviewed a draft Record of Decision for the Formerly Used Defense Sites in Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island. There are 28 separate sites in the Gambell area, four of which require further remedial action. Two sites are scheduled for soil removals, one for arsenic and one for lead. A small arms ammunition cleanup is planned for one site and a debris removal for the last. Further investigation will be conducted at monitoring wells adjacent to the village drinking water well to ensure that there are no contaminant impacts near the aquifer	Jeff Brownlee
1/10/2005	Update or Other Action	File number correction 660.38.006	Aggie Blandford
2/1/2005	Meeting or Teleconference Held	CS staff participated in Restoration Advisory Board meeting for the Formerly Used Defense Sites on Saint Lawrence Island. The meeting was attended by several RAB members in Gambell and Savoonga, the Corps of Engineers (COE) and their contractors Bristol Environmental and Shannon & Wilson, Alaska Community Action on Toxins, and the Native Corporations legal counsel. Both contractors made presentations to the RAB concerning work at Northeast Cape. Shannon & Wilson completed a Phase IV Remedial Investigation in 2004 and briefly discussed the results. Bristol Environmental discussed upcoming work planned for 2005. Additional debris removals including a tram line, power poles, antennae wire and exposed miscellaneous debris will be removed. The community was interested in the availability of local hire positions. The COE also discussed that the Gambell decision documents are being held up by the Corps legal counsel. They are having problems with including the planned small arms ammunition removal south of Troutman Lake and also with the additional sampling at monitoring wells around the village water supply well	Jeff Brownlee
6/27/2005	Record of Decision	A decision document was signed for Formerly Used Defense Sites at Gambell. Thirty four of thirty eight sites have been characterized, cleaned up and closed; soil cleanup methods and levels were formalized for two sites; debris cleanup will be conducted at a third site; one site was withheld from the decision document due to data gaps the Corps determined it needed to address before signing a decision on it.	Jeff Brownlee
10/20/2005	Site Characterization Workplan Approved	Contaminated Sites staff reviewed a set of workplans for remedial action at the Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) at Gambell on Saint Lawrence Island. The plans are to continue groundwater monitoring around the community water well, perform two small soil removals with elevated metals (arsenic, lead), and remove some potentially dangerous debris from near the airstrip	Jeff Brownlee
12/8/2005	Interim Removal Action Approved	Contaminated Sites staff participated in a comment resolution meeting for a remedial action workplan the Formerly Used Defense Site at Gambell on Saint Lawrence Island. Attendees included the Corp of Engineers, their contractor and the DEC. The work involves two soil removals, one with lead as the contaminant of concern and the other arsenic in soil. There will also be a debris removal of several tons of Marston matting near the current airstrip	Jeff Brownlee
1/24/2006	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Contaminated Sites staff attended a Restoration Advisory Board meeting in Savoonga for the Formerly Used Defense Site projects on Saint Lawrence Island. The meeting was well attended by RAB members, community members, COE, Technical Assistance Program (TAP) coordinator, Alaska Community Action on Toxins, attorney for the corporation, and DEC. Agenda items included discussion on the biogenic vs petroleum fraction in sediment samples taken during the Phase IV RI. The DEC and COE explained how cleanup levels are determined in sediment and the results of the 2001 Risk Assessment. If the AK 102 levels found in sediment were considered to be 100% petroleum the risk would remain about the same and the response would remain the same. The DEC also explained the how remedial actions are determined through weighing the balancing criteria including toxicity reduction, long term solution, cost, community acceptance, etc	Jeff Brownlee
1/24/2006	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Contaminated Sites staff attended a Restoration Advisory Board meeting in Savoonga for the Formerly Used Defense Site projects on Saint Lawrence Island. The meeting was well attended by RAB members, community members, COE, Technical Assistance Program (TAP) coordinator, Alaska Community Action on Toxins, attorney for the corporation, and DEC. Agenda items included discussion on the biogenic vs petroleum fraction in sediment samples taken during the Phase IV RI. The DEC and COE explained how cleanup levels are determined in sediment and the results of the 2001 Risk Assessment. If the AK 102 levels found in sediment were considered to be 100% petroleum the risk would remain about the same and the response would remain the same. The DEC also explained the how remedial actions are determined through weighing the balancing criteria including toxicity reduction, long term solution, cost, community acceptance, etc	Jeff Brownlee
7/19/2006	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Contaminated Sites staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting for the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) on Saint Lawrence Island. Participants included representatives from the Corps of Engineers, the COE contractor, Alaska Community Action on Toxins (ACAT), the Technical Assistance Program coordinator and local community members. The Sivuquq and Savoonga attorney, RAB members from Savoonga and other interested parties also participated by phone. The COE contractor discussed the work at the four sites mentioned above and the ongoing NALEMP project at site 6. The TAP grant coordinator talked about the NIEHS grant sampling that they would be doing at Northeast Cape and four other FUDS in the Norton Sound region. The COE then did an over view of the Feasibility Study. The FS recommends some sites for no further action and presents the options available for remediation at the various sites at Northeast Cape along with the estimated costs and balancing criteria analysis. No preferred remedies were proposed in the study. Several RAB members thought the August 18 comment period was too short and requested an extension. The COE said they would review the document schedule and get back to the members	Jeff Brownlee
8/10/2006	Update or Other Action	Contaminated Sites staff reviewed and commented on a work plan for Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP) work to be performed in Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island this summer. Several areas around the village have buried military debris from a base operated near the village in the 1950’s. The debris surfaces on occasion from wind and water erosion and presents a safety hazard to 4-wheeler and snow machine traffic. Staff also reviewed a report detailing the activities of the 2005 NALEMP work in the village. About 180-tons of debris, mostly metallic were removed. Three ton’s of incidental contaminated soil was containerized for disposal	Jeff Brownlee
9/26/2006	Update or Other Action	Staff reviewed a Project Closure Report for the Formerly Used Defense Site in Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island. The report applies to Containerized Hazardous, Toxic, or Radiological Waste (CON/HTRW) at sixteen of 28 sites that had CON/HTRW issues. All the known containerized waste at the facility has been removed	Jeff Brownlee
1/25/2007	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Contaminated Sites staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting for the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) on Saint Lawrence Island. Participants at the meeting included Alaska Community Action on Toxins (ACAT), the RAB Technical Assistance Program representative, the COE Alaska District, the native corporation attorney, RAB members and DEC. Agenda items included discussion of the remedial actions that took place in Gambell during the summer season included a summary of the Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP) work. The Gambell NALEMP project is the largest in the nation with 290,000 pounds of buried debris removed in 2006. There was discussion on the groundwater sampling event at Site 5 which is several monitoring wells surrounding the village water supply well. There were detected levels of DRO and metals (lead, nickel, barium) in a couple wells, but well below the cleanup levels. We also discussed the Feasibility Study for Northeast Cape and the upcoming final of that document	Jeff Brownlee
3/28/2007	Site Characterization Report Approved	CS staff reviewed a groundwater monitoring report for the Site 5 Formerly Used Defense Site in Gambell on Saint Lawrence Island. Site 5 is a groundwater monitoring array that surrounds the main intake well for the village drinking water source. All results were well below Table C cleanup levels	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
11/21/2007	Record of Decision	Site 5 ROD signed.	Jeff Brownlee
11/27/2007	Exposure Tracking Model Ranking	Intitial Ranking Complete for Source Area: 71205 (Autogenerated Action)
1/8/2008	Meeting or Teleconference Held	Contaminated Sites staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board meeting for the Formerly Used Defense Sites on Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska. The meeting was held in Savoonga and attended by members of the RAB and community, Corps of Engineers, the COE contractor, Alaska Community Action on Toxins, the attorney for the native corporation, and the Technical Assistance Program advisor for the RAB. Agenda items included a discussion of the geophysics results of the investigation at the Site 7 Landfill, Responsiveness Summary for the Northeast Cape Proposed Plan and the changes to the plan that are resulting from those comments	Jeff Brownlee
2/14/2008	Update or Other Action	Contaminated Sites Staff reviewed a Cleanup Summary Report for the 2007 field season for Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP) work performed in Gambell, Alaska. About 30-tons of inert mixed debris and 60-tons of incidental contaminated soil were removed from several sites in the Gambell area. Containerization and off-island disposal is the remedy. The debris originated from building demolition and debris dumping from military occupation of the area during and after World War II	Jeff Brownlee
7/1/2008	Site Closure Approved	All CON/HTRW sites closed using off site disposal.	Jeff Brownlee
8/24/2010	Update or Other Action	ADEC-PM was contacted by Mr. J. Herrmann representing The Policy Navigation Group (PNG) who inquired regarding Dioxin contamination and remediation history at the Gambell Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS). Mr. Herrmann stated that PNG is conducting a national survey of Dioxin contamination and remediation at FUDS. ADEC-PM discussed dioxin contamination and remediation history at site 4B via telephone w/ Mr. Herrmann, and followed up w/ providing electronic copies of the 2004 Feasibility Study and 2005 Decision Document, along with site links to the ADEC-CS database.	Curtis Dunkin
6/13/2019	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

Action Date

Action

Description

DEC Staff

3/1/1992

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = SI - Site Investigation). "Draft - Chemical Data Acquisition Plan, Site Inventory Update, Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island" dated 3/1/92 by Ecology and Environment proposes site investigation for Gambell area.

Former Staff

5/27/1992

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = SI - Site Investigation). Reviewed sampling workplan. sampling to occur summer 1993.

Laura Noland

6/1/1992

Site Added to Database

DERP-FUD.

Former Staff

6/1/1992

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = CORR - Correspondence (General)). Reviewed site investigation plan for Gambell and sent comments to Corps. Requested pesticide sampling at asphalt dump.

Laura Noland

7/24/1992

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Corps of Engineers and ADEC met with City and Corporation representatives to discuss Gambell project. The villagers were warned to stay away from the debris and that any ordnance should be reported to the Corps.

Former Staff

7/24/1992

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = RECN - Site Reconnaissance (CS)). Corps of Engineers, consultant and ADEC conducted site reconnaissance. Extensive asbestos, approximately 20 transformers and fuel contaminated soils were noted.

Former Staff

11/9/1992

Preliminary Assessment Approved

Received Site Inventory for Gambell dated 10/92 and completed by Ecology and Environment. Document identifies 17 out of 18 possible contaminated sites which are eligible for DERP cleanup.

Former Staff

11/9/1992

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = SI - Site Investigation). Received Draft Final Chemical Data Acquisition Plan dated 10/92 completed by Ecology and Environment. Document outlines sampling plan for future site investigation. 12 if 18 identified sites to be sampled.

Former Staff

12/8/1992

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = CORR - Correspondence (General)). ADEC sent comments regarding Draft Chemical Data Acquisition Plan. Most critical issue is lack of funding for project and reports of unexploded ordnance near village and in Troutman Lake.

Former Staff

12/11/1992

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = CORR - Correspondence (General)). ADEC requested information from Colonel at Corps of Engineers regarding priority of Saint Lawrence Island DERP-FUDS and expected schedule of events.

Former Staff

5/5/1993

Proposed Plan

ADEC received site Inventory and chemical data acquisition plan submitted for removal/disposal action to occur at site(dependent upon funding). Question on two sites: 10 and 18 - sampling should be done at these sites.

Marcus Ortelee

5/5/1993

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = CORR - Correspondence (General)). Final document for removal at site. Comments sent back on plan for removal action. COE will submit for FY94 funding to begin this process.

Marcus Ortelee

12/7/1993

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = RI - Remedial Investigation). Contract DACA85-93-D-0011 awarded for limited RI of Gambell, including drilling, sampling and a final report.

Former Staff

12/16/1993

Site Ranked Using the AHRM

Reviewed this site for ranking but determined that there isn't enough information. The site consists of 18 different areas that have a large amount of solid waste, unexploded munitions, broken batteries, empty barrels and soil stains. When sampling and test results are received, a determination may be made that this site should actually be 4 or 6 different sites, based on different contaminants and different areas within the site that may therefore be addressed with different levels of priority and with different workplans.

Dennis Harwood

1/9/1994

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = RPL2 - Site Information Request Letter). Sent PRP-CS Database Notification Letter to RP requesting update and more environmental information concerning contaminated site. RP received letter, but as of this "complete date" no response.

Jeff Peterson

1/2/1996

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = SI - Site Investigation). FINAL Investigative-Derived Waste handling Report/Gambell and Northeast Cape/Saint Lawrence Island

Kalu Kalu

1/5/1996

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = RI - Remedial Investigation). Received a RI report. Seventeen sites were investigated. Elevated DRO found in surface and subsurface soils near infiltration gallery for public water supply (Site 5). Dioxins and lead found at Site 4B. Additional work identified and will be conducted as Phase II.

Katarina Rutkowski

1/15/1997

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = RI - Remedial Investigation). The department received a Draft Phase II RI Report. This report included human health and ecological risk assessments. These sections were sent out for term contractor review. A comment resolution meeting was held 1/21/1998 to discuss document and risk assessments. Additional work will be done at Site 4B and 5 (soil removal and monitoring well installation, respectively).

Katarina Rutkowski

3/21/1997

Update or Other Action

Site updated by Shannon and Wilson based on the FUDS Site Summary dated 2/21/96.

S&W

11/10/1997

Update or Other Action

(Old R:Base Action Code = RI - Remedial Investigation). Received draft report for Geophysical Anomaly Investigation that occurred during the 1997 field season. Residents reported that transformers had been buried near the infiltration gallery that is used for their public water supply. There were two geophysical anomalies in the area of the reported buried transformers. The Corps excavated the anomalies and found inert debris.

Katarina Rutkowski

10/1/1998

Interim Removal Action Approved

Area 5.

Katarina Rutkowski

3/9/1999

Update or Other Action

Phase II RI report on area 5. VSW went over report. No results over MCLs. A couple of low VOC detections were attributed to lab interference.

Jeff Brownlee

3/9/1999

Interim Removal Action Approved

Interim Removal Action CON/HTRW work plan for debris removal and various spot removals including low level dioxin soil at site 4B.

Jeff Brownlee

10/15/1999

Update or Other Action

Dioxin was present at site 4B at levels below regulatory cleanup, however a removal action was undertaken because of community concern. One detection of DRO over the drinking water cleanup levels was noted in 1998 from a monitoring well near the drinking water intake well. Sampling of the of the drinking water supply well before and after treatment has not has not detected any contaminants (verbal on last sampling from Montgomery Watson). The issue of most concern in the village seems to be buried debris. Buried military debris was encountered during expansion of the high school in 1996-97 which caused a lot of concern in the community. The COE did not consider the debris FUDS eligible.

Jeff Brownlee

4/25/2000

Update or Other Action

UXO work plan for geophysical search of Troutman Lake (on the ice) looking for supposedly discarded small arms ammo. We used our subcontractor Geophex to do the review. Phase II of the work will occur this summer looking for other small arms (and possible hand grenades) supposedly buried in trenches near the village.

Jeff Brownlee

5/15/2000

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Staff attended a RAB meeting at Savoonga for the Gambell and NE Cape FUDS sites.

Jeff Brownlee

6/19/2000

Update or Other Action

Staff prepared a Request For Proposal for a contractor review of a COE Ordnance and Explosive Waste (OEW) work plan. This work is Phase II of a project to locate and possibly remove OEW in the vicinity of the village of Gambell. Phase I work attempted to locate small arms ammunition that has allegedly been disposed of in Troutman Lake. The Phase II work will be using geophysics to look for OEW supposedly buried in trenches near the village during the military pullout about 1957.

Jeff Brownlee

7/18/2000

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Comment resolution meeting on Gambell UXO Phase II work plan. All the outstanding comments provided by the ADEC contractor, Geophex, were adequately addressed during the call and a revised work plan issued. Note: Not enough review time was planned by the Huntsville contractor and the review ended up being rushed.

Jeff Brownlee

7/21/2000

Update or Other Action

Staff reviewed a draft IRA report for a debris removal and con/htw removal at Gambell performed in 1999. The report lacked basic mechanisms of complete IRA report including ARARs discussion, discussion of history and past investigations. It does not appear that screening or confirmation sampling was properly performed at several impacted soil removal areas.

Jeff Brownlee

9/15/2000

Update or Other Action

Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program funding has been available for Gambell. Geophysical screening was performed in August 2000. Geophysical screening was also done for four areas of suspected buried UXO near the village and on the northern third of Troutman Lake. A large amount of small arms ammunition was reportedly towed onto the lake during the winter and sunk through the ice. The investigation did not locate any large ammo caches. Further investigation of the remainder of the lake may be necessary.

Jeff Brownlee

11/3/2000

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Staff participated in the quarterly RAB meeting. Discussion about Gambell included discussion of the NALMP work (geophysics work for buried debris) and the coincidental finding of contamination during construction and debris removal.

Jeff Brownlee

1/8/2001

Update or Other Action

prepared contracted review comments on an after-action Ordnance and Explosive Waste (OEW) report. The COE Huntsville performed the two-phase investigation. Troutman Lake, adjacent to the village, was investigated through the ice last spring and four areas in and near the village were investigated last summer. Historical and witness evidence indicated that large caches of small arms ammo and hand grenades were disposed of in the lake and buried at the four suspected disposal sites. Approximately 800 rounds of small arms ammo was found at site D south of Troutman Lake. No other geophysical anomalies were shown to be OEW. Search areas for two sites including Troutman Lake may not have been adequate. Grid spacing and target size are also in question. Field practices did not adhere to the quality assurance expectations agreed to in the workplan. Also at issue in the report is that small arms ammo is considered to not be OEW. There are an unknown quantity of small arms ammo at the above mentioned sites and throughout the area. By eliminated the ammo from the definition of OEW, the COE has tried to eliminate evaluating risk from OEW and minimize any future work.

Jeff Brownlee

3/30/2001

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Staff (Brownlee, Haar) participated in a RAB meeting for the NE Cape and Gambell FUDS. There was good participation and discussion from the RAB and community members on the work done at NE Cape this summer. There was concern expressed about several sites where debris quantities exceeded contract estimates. RAB members wanted to know if and when these excess amounts of debris would be addressed. Concern was also expressed about the HTW cleanup at a couple sites including PCBs at the former septic tank area and stained soil/drums at Site 25 (Directional Antennae). The TAPP grant was finally awarded and the contractor (Dr. Ron Scrudato - State U. of New York) participated by phone at the RAB meeting. Dr. Scrudato will be reviewing the RI/FS workplan currently in review status.

Jeff Brownlee

6/22/2001

Update or Other Action

Staff commented on a Final CON/HTW and Debris Removal Report. Oil Spill Consultants performed the work for the COE in 1999. Contaminated soils were removed from several areas associated with former military activity around the village. Confirmation samples were taken without using any screening methods. Excavations will have to be opened and resampled to confirm cleanup.

Jeff Brownlee

9/4/2001

Update or Other Action

Staff reviewed a draft Supplemental Remedial Investigation Workplan for this former early warning radar site. A Phase I and II investigation have been completed. Based on a report prepared the COE Huntsville Technical Engineering (TEC) section, new evidence of possible contaminated areas were found. The information is mostly in the form of historic Community concerns documented in a COE "Strategic Project Implementation Plan (SPIP) were also incorporated into the workplan. Field work is planned for the second and third week of September and involves mostly soil boring and surface soil sampling.

Jeff Brownlee

3/11/2002

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board meeting for Northeast Cape and Gambell. Also participating in the meeting was the TAPP grant manager, Alaska Community Action on Toxins, ATSDR, the COE and their contractor. Dr. Bob Johnson with ATSDR presented information on the Reindeer Health Consultation. PAHs were found in low concentrations in reindeer tissue, but at levels well below benchmarks that would be considered a health risk at conservative subsistence use values. It was discussed that the reindeer range over the entire island and contaminant correlation with a particular site would be difficult. The Phase III investigation performed in Gambell was discussed.

Jeff Brownlee

7/10/2002

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board meeting in Savoonga for the Northeast Cape and Gambell FUDS. An approximately $10 million contract for work at the Northeast Cape site will be awarded to a contractor this week. The work will include BD/DR of the remaining buildings including the lower White Alice site facility and some HTW work. Work on a Phase III investigation may continue this fall at Northeast Cape if the contracting can be completed before the end of the season.

Jeff Brownlee

7/11/2002

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Staff participated in a public meeting in Gambell to address the unexploded ordnance issues in and around the village. The COE investigation appeared adequate for ordnance allegedly disposed of in Troutman Lake and several burial sites around the village. The only Ordnance or Explosive Waste (OEW) found were small arms ammunition in an open burn open detonation pit south of Troutman Lake. A public education program will be implemented by the COE in the case that a resident does find OEW items.

Jeff Brownlee

2/25/2003

Update or Other Action

Staff reviewed a workplan for a Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP) removal action at Gambell, scheduled for this summer. The work focuses on two former military dump sites that were generated from the early warning radar and communication facility operating during the 1950’s. The work is being prompted because the landfills are under the footprint of planned new housing and a Fire Hall. Gambell has had problems with buried military debris being encountered during construction projects in the past, most notably at the high school. Geophysics surveys have been performed over the areas and will help to guide the excavation boundaries.

Jeff Brownlee

8/5/2003

Meeting or Teleconference Held

CS staff attended a Restoration Advisory Board meeting at Gambell for FUDS on Saint Lawrence Island. The meeting discussed an update of the NALEMP (Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program) project that is going on at Gambell and an update of the cleanup progress at Northeast Cape. The NALEMP project is addressing debris under the footprint of some future HUD housing. So far about 700 empty drums and miscellaneous metal debris have been removed from the scoped work area. Only small amounts of POL contamination has been noted usually associated with oil filters. The COE contractor at Northeast Cape is making rapid progress with taking down the buildings. It appears that they will be finished with the contracted scope of work this season instead of needing the projected two seasons. If the COE decides to exercise optional task work they will need to pay the contractor to keep the camp and equipment on site for the winter or pay for another mobilization. The TAPP (Technical Assistance Program Plan) grant contract expires the end of September. There was some contention at the meeting over the COE suggesting that the current TAPP grant coordinator may have a conflict of interest because he is doing other work on the island with ACAT (Alaska Community Action on Toxins), although he is not being paid for that work. The contract has to go out for bid according to TAPP contract regulation, but of course the community and ACAT want to maintain continuity with the current provider. There was also some emotional concern expressed over the perceived high cancer incidence on the island.

Jeff Brownlee

1/8/2004

Update or Other Action

CS staff reviewed a draft Feasibility Study for FUDS at Gambell on Saint Lawrence Island. Cleanup decisions for a few sites will depend on DEC approval of a 350 determination for no groundwater use. Most of these areas have little or no groundwater in the active lens over permafrost. Three sites will require further remedial action for lead in soil, UXO (small arms ammo) in surface soil and surface debris that is considered unsafe near the airstrip.

Jeff Brownlee

1/22/2004

Meeting or Teleconference Held

CS staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board meeting for the FUDS on Saint Lawrence Island. Also participating were approximately 20 RAB members, Alaska Community Action on Toxins (ACAT), the RAB Technical Assistance Program (TAP) coordinator, the attorney for the two Saint Lawrence Island Native Corporations and a reporter for KALM radio in Nome. A summary report was presented of the building demolition/debris removal work done last summer at Northeast Cape. All of the buildings at the White Alice Site and the main Headquarters area have been removed. The COE is intending to award optional contracts for 2005 to remove some remaining items including the tram system to the former radar facility on a nearby mountain. CS staff summarized the characterization effort to date by site and discussed data gaps. The COE has decided to do one more investigation to address these data gaps. The investigation is planned for this summer and will include several groundwater monitoring wells. The Feasibility Study that was done for Gambell was discussed. Three sites remain that require a remedial action. Two sites need some additional hydrogeology information to support the proposed Method Two ingestion cleanup level. The Gambell NALEMP (Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program) report was also discussed. Approximately 50-tons of metallic debris from two former landfills were removed. The debris was mixed empty drums, Marston matting, engine parts, cable, piping and miscellaneous scrap. About 3-tons of incidental contaminated soil was containerized in super sacks and disposed off island with the metal debris. Confirmation sampling showed excavation limit results below Method Two cleanup levels.

Jeff Brownlee

3/1/2004

Site Number Identifier Changed

Changed Sequence Number from 02 to 19 to allow for 17 duplicates of Reckey 198532X917901.

Former Staff

3/31/2004

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board meeting for the FUDS on Saint Lawrence Island. The Feasibility Study for Gambell was discussed as well as the upcoming Proposed Plan. Dr. Ron Scrudato (New York State University) is the Technical Assistant Program coordinator for the RAB. Dr. Scrudato gave a briefing on the findings of a grant study he is doing in coordination with Alaska Community Action on Toxins (ACAT). The grant is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and focuses on human health and environmental contamination on Saint Lawrence Island. Sampling of sediment, air and plant tissue for PCBs is showing point source contribution at Northeast Cape and also assumed global contribution at both Northeast Cape and Gambell. By analyzing individual congeners the vapor pressure and likely transport mode and relative time of deposition (sediment) can be determined. The RAB also discussed the upcoming remedial investigation at Northeast Cape this summer

Jeff Brownlee

7/21/2004

Proposed Plan

Staff participated in a public meeting held in Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island to introduce the Gambell FUDS work Proposed Plan. The Corps of Engineers, Alaska Community Action on Toxics, several community members and the DEC participated in the meeting. The sites that require further remediation were discussed as were the sites proposed for No Further Action. The community had several questions mostly relating to the area hydrology, unexploded ordinance and buried debris. Most concerns seemed to be addressed adequately during discussion. The public review period for the plan will be through the end of August

Jeff Brownlee

8/4/2004

Update or Other Action

CS staff reviewed a workplan for a Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP) project in Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island. The project will remove debris that is sporadically exposed near the school and along popular 4-wheeler and snow machine routes. The DEC reviewed the plan to address contingencies for any coincidental contaminated soil encountered during excavations

Jeff Brownlee

9/9/2004

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Contaminated Sites staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting in Savoonga for Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) on Saint Lawrence Island. The meeting was facilitated by a representative of the Keystone Center and attended by members of Alaska Community Action on Toxins, the Technical Assistance Program (TAP) coordinator and members of the RAB. The status of work at Gambell was discussed including the Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP) project and work planned for next year to address the cleanup issues discussed in the Gambell Proposed Plan. The ongoing Phase IV investigation work currently being performed at Northeast Cape was also discussed

Jeff Brownlee

12/3/2004

Site Ranked Using the AHRM

Jeff Brownlee

12/16/2004

Update or Other Action

Contaminated Sites staff reviewed a draft Record of Decision for the Formerly Used Defense Sites in Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island. There are 28 separate sites in the Gambell area, four of which require further remedial action. Two sites are scheduled for soil removals, one for arsenic and one for lead. A small arms ammunition cleanup is planned for one site and a debris removal for the last. Further investigation will be conducted at monitoring wells adjacent to the village drinking water well to ensure that there are no contaminant impacts near the aquifer

Jeff Brownlee

1/10/2005

Update or Other Action

File number correction 660.38.006

Aggie Blandford

2/1/2005

Meeting or Teleconference Held

CS staff participated in Restoration Advisory Board meeting for the Formerly Used Defense Sites on Saint Lawrence Island. The meeting was attended by several RAB members in Gambell and Savoonga, the Corps of Engineers (COE) and their contractors Bristol Environmental and Shannon & Wilson, Alaska Community Action on Toxins, and the Native Corporations legal counsel. Both contractors made presentations to the RAB concerning work at Northeast Cape. Shannon & Wilson completed a Phase IV Remedial Investigation in 2004 and briefly discussed the results. Bristol Environmental discussed upcoming work planned for 2005. Additional debris removals including a tram line, power poles, antennae wire and exposed miscellaneous debris will be removed. The community was interested in the availability of local hire positions. The COE also discussed that the Gambell decision documents are being held up by the Corps legal counsel. They are having problems with including the planned small arms ammunition removal south of Troutman Lake and also with the additional sampling at monitoring wells around the village water supply well

Jeff Brownlee

6/27/2005

Record of Decision

A decision document was signed for Formerly Used Defense Sites at Gambell. Thirty four of thirty eight sites have been characterized, cleaned up and closed; soil cleanup methods and levels were formalized for two sites; debris cleanup will be conducted at a third site; one site was withheld from the decision document due to data gaps the Corps determined it needed to address before signing a decision on it.

Jeff Brownlee

10/20/2005

Site Characterization Workplan Approved

Contaminated Sites staff reviewed a set of workplans for remedial action at the Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) at Gambell on Saint Lawrence Island. The plans are to continue groundwater monitoring around the community water well, perform two small soil removals with elevated metals (arsenic, lead), and remove some potentially dangerous debris from near the airstrip

Jeff Brownlee

12/8/2005

Interim Removal Action Approved

Contaminated Sites staff participated in a comment resolution meeting for a remedial action workplan the Formerly Used Defense Site at Gambell on Saint Lawrence Island. Attendees included the Corp of Engineers, their contractor and the DEC. The work involves two soil removals, one with lead as the contaminant of concern and the other arsenic in soil. There will also be a debris removal of several tons of Marston matting near the current airstrip

Jeff Brownlee

1/24/2006

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Contaminated Sites staff attended a Restoration Advisory Board meeting in Savoonga for the Formerly Used Defense Site projects on Saint Lawrence Island. The meeting was well attended by RAB members, community members, COE, Technical Assistance Program (TAP) coordinator, Alaska Community Action on Toxins, attorney for the corporation, and DEC. Agenda items included discussion on the biogenic vs petroleum fraction in sediment samples taken during the Phase IV RI. The DEC and COE explained how cleanup levels are determined in sediment and the results of the 2001 Risk Assessment. If the AK 102 levels found in sediment were considered to be 100% petroleum the risk would remain about the same and the response would remain the same. The DEC also explained the how remedial actions are determined through weighing the balancing criteria including toxicity reduction, long term solution, cost, community acceptance, etc

Jeff Brownlee

1/24/2006

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Jeff Brownlee

7/19/2006

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Contaminated Sites staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting for the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) on Saint Lawrence Island. Participants included representatives from the Corps of Engineers, the COE contractor, Alaska Community Action on Toxins (ACAT), the Technical Assistance Program coordinator and local community members. The Sivuquq and Savoonga attorney, RAB members from Savoonga and other interested parties also participated by phone. The COE contractor discussed the work at the four sites mentioned above and the ongoing NALEMP project at site 6. The TAP grant coordinator talked about the NIEHS grant sampling that they would be doing at Northeast Cape and four other FUDS in the Norton Sound region. The COE then did an over view of the Feasibility Study. The FS recommends some sites for no further action and presents the options available for remediation at the various sites at Northeast Cape along with the estimated costs and balancing criteria analysis. No preferred remedies were proposed in the study. Several RAB members thought the August 18 comment period was too short and requested an extension. The COE said they would review the document schedule and get back to the members

Jeff Brownlee

8/10/2006

Update or Other Action

Contaminated Sites staff reviewed and commented on a work plan for Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP) work to be performed in Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island this summer. Several areas around the village have buried military debris from a base operated near the village in the 1950’s. The debris surfaces on occasion from wind and water erosion and presents a safety hazard to 4-wheeler and snow machine traffic. Staff also reviewed a report detailing the activities of the 2005 NALEMP work in the village. About 180-tons of debris, mostly metallic were removed. Three ton’s of incidental contaminated soil was containerized for disposal

Jeff Brownlee

9/26/2006

Update or Other Action

Staff reviewed a Project Closure Report for the Formerly Used Defense Site in Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island. The report applies to Containerized Hazardous, Toxic, or Radiological Waste (CON/HTRW) at sixteen of 28 sites that had CON/HTRW issues. All the known containerized waste at the facility has been removed

Jeff Brownlee

1/25/2007

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Contaminated Sites staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting for the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) on Saint Lawrence Island. Participants at the meeting included Alaska Community Action on Toxins (ACAT), the RAB Technical Assistance Program representative, the COE Alaska District, the native corporation attorney, RAB members and DEC. Agenda items included discussion of the remedial actions that took place in Gambell during the summer season included a summary of the Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP) work. The Gambell NALEMP project is the largest in the nation with 290,000 pounds of buried debris removed in 2006. There was discussion on the groundwater sampling event at Site 5 which is several monitoring wells surrounding the village water supply well. There were detected levels of DRO and metals (lead, nickel, barium) in a couple wells, but well below the cleanup levels. We also discussed the Feasibility Study for Northeast Cape and the upcoming final of that document

Jeff Brownlee

3/28/2007

Site Characterization Report Approved

CS staff reviewed a groundwater monitoring report for the Site 5 Formerly Used Defense Site in Gambell on Saint Lawrence Island. Site 5 is a groundwater monitoring array that surrounds the main intake well for the village drinking water source. All results were well below Table C cleanup levels

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

11/21/2007

Record of Decision

Site 5 ROD signed.

Jeff Brownlee

11/27/2007

Exposure Tracking Model Ranking

Intitial Ranking Complete for Source Area: 71205 (Autogenerated Action)

1/8/2008

Meeting or Teleconference Held

Contaminated Sites staff participated in a Restoration Advisory Board meeting for the Formerly Used Defense Sites on Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska. The meeting was held in Savoonga and attended by members of the RAB and community, Corps of Engineers, the COE contractor, Alaska Community Action on Toxins, the attorney for the native corporation, and the Technical Assistance Program advisor for the RAB. Agenda items included a discussion of the geophysics results of the investigation at the Site 7 Landfill, Responsiveness Summary for the Northeast Cape Proposed Plan and the changes to the plan that are resulting from those comments

Jeff Brownlee

2/14/2008

Update or Other Action

Contaminated Sites Staff reviewed a Cleanup Summary Report for the 2007 field season for Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP) work performed in Gambell, Alaska. About 30-tons of inert mixed debris and 60-tons of incidental contaminated soil were removed from several sites in the Gambell area. Containerization and off-island disposal is the remedy. The debris originated from building demolition and debris dumping from military occupation of the area during and after World War II

Jeff Brownlee

7/1/2008

Site Closure Approved

All CON/HTRW sites closed using off site disposal.

Jeff Brownlee

8/24/2010

Update or Other Action

ADEC-PM was contacted by Mr. J. Herrmann representing The Policy Navigation Group (PNG) who inquired regarding Dioxin contamination and remediation history at the Gambell Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS). Mr. Herrmann stated that PNG is conducting a national survey of Dioxin contamination and remediation at FUDS. ADEC-PM discussed dioxin contamination and remediation history at site 4B via telephone w/ Mr. Herrmann, and followed up w/ providing electronic copies of the 2004 Feasibility Study and 2005 Decision Document, along with site links to the ADEC-CS database.

Curtis Dunkin

6/13/2019

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

Contaminant Information

Name	Level Description	Media	Comments
			For more information about this site, contact DEC at (907) 465-5390.

Name

Level Description

Media

Comments

For more information about this site, contact DEC at (907) 465-5390.

Control Type

Type	Details
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Type

Details

No ICs Required

Requirements

Description	Details
Advance approval required to transport soil or groundwater off-site.

Description

Details

Advance approval required to transport soil or groundwater off-site.

There are no documents for this site report.

No associated sites were found.

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Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

Site Report: St Law Gambell Si 02,3 Burial Areas

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State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation