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Site Report: Kobuk Feed and Fuel

Site Name: Kobuk Feed and Fuel
Address: 2751 Picket Place, Fairbanks, AK 99709
File Number: 100.26.137
Hazard ID: 24434
Status: Active
Staff: Shawn Tisdell, 9074512752 shawn.tisdell@alaska.gov
Latitude: 64.823600
Longitude: -147.783600
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

This commercial fuel facility was abandoned in the early 1990s when the owner declared bankruptcy. Dr. Dee Thornell was renting a portion of the property and operating a Veterinary practice at the site. Dr. Thornell reported several overfills and surface spills. The tanks were still in place and contained fuel in 1993 according to a limited Phase I Site Assessment. The Phase I estimates 600 cubic yards of contaminated soil. Alaska Department of Natural Resources (ADNR) was a lien holder on the property through the Agricultural Revolving Loan Fund prior to a sale in 1995. A Phase II environmental site assessment was conducted in 2007 which included the removal of the three unleaded gasoline tanks and one diesel tank. Stained soils, gasoline and diesel odors were observed. A small amount of buried lead-acid battery residue was also encountered, of which a lead sample (less than cleanup levels) was collected and 3 cubic feet of soil excavated and transported to a hazardous waste site. A total of 2,190 cubic yards of contaminated soil were excavated down to 10 feet (groundwater) creating two pits that were left open within the perimeter fence. The excavation continued up to the western board and ceased before undermining a fence. Soil samples indicate contamination remains along the west wall from near surface to 10 feet below ground surface and has not been fully delineated. Groundwater contamination was also discovered and has yet to be fully delineated.

Action Information

Action Date Action Description DEC Staff
10/13/1994 Site Visit LFI; Renter retained Dick McManus to conduct LFI. Hand gasoline auger used to drill holes to 8 ft. in various places.PID readings were taken. A rough estimate of 620 cubic yards of contaminated soil was obtained from the area involving 3 dispensing islands. USTs were measured for product. Former Staff
11/3/1994 Site Added to Database Former Staff
11/3/1994 Leaking Underground Storage Tank Release Confirmed - Petroleum LUST Site created in CSP for source area ID 78101 ADD; Former Staff
9/12/1995 Update or Other Action UPD; Renter informs DEC that vet. service be moving 4/96 and that the State of Alaska has taken over the property. Former Staff
11/20/1997 Update or Other Action ADEC sends Notification of Intent to Cost Recover Letter to Current Owner: KOBUK INC.-DBA KOBUK FUEL & FEED Former Staff
1/28/2004 Update or Other Action Transferred DEC staff lead from John Carnahan Cynthia Pring-Ham
7/6/2005 Update or Other Action Update GIS using TopoZone Pro and borough tax maps. Kim DeRuyter
7/6/2005 Update or Other Action File review and update problem statement, legal address etc. Kim DeRuyter
11/1/2005 Site Visit Site inspection today revealed that a newly discovered benzene plume at "Speedy Auto Glass" is located cross gradient of this site. Kim DeRuyter
9/18/2006 Update or Other Action Called the Fairbanks North Star Borough to see if notice of the contamination at this site could be recorded in the Borough files. Kim DeRuyter
9/18/2006 Update or Other Action PRP letter sent to Global Financial. Kim DeRuyter
11/2/2006 Update or Other Action Draft Consent to Search documents sent to the property owner of Kobuk, and Pruhs Lots 1 and 2 sent out today. Kim DeRuyter
11/28/2006 Update or Other Action A neighbor at 2915 Picket Place called to inquire about the benzene contamination discovered at the Pruhs Warehouses and ask if contamination associated with the old tanks at Kobuk could be impacting the groundwater near his property. He has a 40 foot deep well which he says he has been testing regularly for benzene. He says that the samples he has submitted have not detected benzene. Kim DeRuyter
2/28/2007 Update or Other Action A draft COBC was prepared to address contaminated site issues and UST violations. The draft was forwarded to AG's office Cam Leonard) and UST (Dave Guinn) for comments and edits Jim Frechione
3/23/2007 Update or Other Action Letter to Global Finance & Investment Co (Gary Lundgren) was sent certified mail with a copy of the draft COBC. The letter requested a response by April 6, 2007 on what their intentions are regarding tank removal and site investigation Jim Frechione
5/17/2007 Leaking Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Initiated - Petroleum Former Staff
5/17/2007 Leaking Underground Storage Tank Corrective Action Underway Alaska Resources & Environmental Services submitted a work plan to pull the 4 USTs and excavated impacted soil. The plan proposed soil treatment on site in a biocell. ADEC approved the plan subject to conditions Jim Frechione
5/30/2007 Site Visit the tanks were being pulled from the ground this date and a site visit was conducted Jim Frechione
6/20/2007 Update or Other Action Adjacent neighbor (George Sundborg) called to inquire about the recent tank pull and soil excavation at the Kobuk site. He inquired as to if the contamination migrated on to his property. I told him that DEC did not receive the sample data yet - but that I would contact him if it the extent of contamination was not reached on the Kobuk site. Jim Frechione
8/15/2007 Underground Storage Tank Site Characterization or Assessment Alaska Resources & Environmental Services submitted an August 2, 2007 report that identified soil contamination and the cleanup efforts employed to excavate and treat the soil (on site). The report indicated the extent of the contamination was not identified on the western boundary of the property - that borders adjacent to the Sundborg property. George Sundborg was contacted to determine if he would grant access to investigate soil and groundwater impacts on his property. He requested a couple of days to consider the request. The groundwater must still be investigated and it is hoped to include soil and groundwater assessment on the adjacent property - in addition to the Kobuk site Jim Frechione
10/12/2007 Update or Other Action Letter to Global Finance (Gary Lundgren) regarding failure to conduct complete soil and groundwater assessment. A response from Global and their intentions was requested by October 31, 2007 Jim Frechione
1/18/2008 Update or Other Action DEC letter to Global Finance indicating no response was received regarding their intentions and this is assumed to mean they do not intend to continue assessment or cleanup work. DEC informed them that State lead action would be initiated Jim Frechione
3/27/2008 Update or Other Action Consultant (Lyle Greshover) for Mr Lundgren indicated that he had been contacted to install three groundwater monitoring wells at the site. His proposed schedule was sometime in May 2008 to install and sample them Jim Frechione
7/8/2008 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Intitial Ranking Complete for Source Area: 78101 (Autogenerated Action)
7/8/2008 Exposure Tracking Model Ranking Updated Ranking Complete for Source Area: 78101 (Autogenerated Action)
9/29/2008 Leaking Underground Storage Tank Release Confirmed - Petroleum LUST site created in CSP database for source area USTs, 78101 Ann Farris
11/19/2008 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Received GW monitoring well report from consultant Ann Farris
6/17/2013 Update or Other Action Received call from EPA RCRA program. The RCRA program was planning to inspect property because the former Kobuk Feed & Fuel has a generator ID number. Discussed status of the property as a contaminated site. Janice Wiegers
3/21/2014 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Received 2011, 2012, and 2013 Groundwater monitoring reports from consultant (ARES). Jim Fish
7/1/2014 Update or Other Action Letter for addtional site assessment activities sent to RP & consultant. Jim Fish
7/14/2016 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other The DEC received and reviewed the August 2014 and the September 2015 Groundwater Monitoring Report(dated January 2016) prepared by ARES. These reports indicate petroleum contamination continues to exceed DEC cleanup levels for benzene, diesel range organics (DRO) and gasoline range organics (GRO) along the western property boundary. The up-gradient monitoring well (MW-1) located near the east edge of the property, has not exceeded DEC cleanup levels for any measured analyte, however the 2014 and 2015 samples did contain concentrations above detection levels. ARES suggests that this may be a result of contaminants migrating onto the site from an off-site source. The ARES Groundwater Monitoring Report recommendations include scheduling an annual sampling event of wells during high seasonal groundwater conditions, the need for additional soil borings and monitoring wells placed down-gradient (NW) of the source area to assess potential impacts, and to conduct a well receptor survey within ¼ mile of the property to identify potential receptors. Shawn Tisdell
7/27/2016 Update or Other Action DEC letter sent to RP requesting additional response on or before 8/29/2016 to address additional delineation of soil and groundwater contamination, to manage the neglected soil stockpiles and to fill the two excavations left open since 2007. Shawn Tisdell
4/17/2018 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other Received 2016 Groundwater Monitoring Report Shawn Tisdell
8/23/2018 Offsite Soil or Groundwater Disposal Approved DEC approval provided for disposal of contaminated groundwater monitoring purge water at OIT. Shawn Tisdell
8/30/2023 Document, Report, or Work plan Review - other 2019-2022 Groundwater Monitoring Well Report received and is under review. Shawn Tisdell
9/8/2023 Workplan Requested The DEC is requesting that a new work plan be developed by October 10, 2023. This plan must meet the requirements of state regulations found in 18 AAC 78.250. Each of the following points should be addressed: 1)The horizontal and vertical distribution of the release in groundwater and those features that affect the fate and transport of the petroleum must be adequately characterized. 2)The stockpiles should be evaluated for remaining petroleum contamination. A stockpile management plan should be prepared if the soils remain above DEC cleanup levels. 3)Excavations should be filled with appropriate clean material to reduce safety concerns and reduce potential for additional contamination to impact groundwater. Shawn Tisdell
9/29/2023 Workplan Requested Updated address for responsible party and resent letter requesting: 1)The horizontal and vertical distribution of the release in groundwater and those features that affect the fate and transport of the petroleum must be adequately characterized. 2)The stockpiles should be evaluated for remaining petroleum contamination. A stockpile management plan should be prepared if the soils remain above DEC cleanup levels. 3)Excavations should be filled with appropriate clean material to reduce safety concerns and reduce potential for additional contamination to impact groundwater. An October 12 (two-week) deadline was noted on the letter. Shawn Tisdell
10/9/2023 Update or Other Action Received call from the consultant, Alaska Resources and Enviornmental Services, requesting an extension of the deadline for a work plan to January, 2024 for cleanup action in the Spring of 2024. The DEC project manager approved the extension after the consultant indicated that the responsible party is committed to continuing cleanup action at the site. Shawn Tisdell
12/29/2023 Meeting or Teleconference Held DEC met virtually with the consultant, ARES, and landowner representative to discuss the scope of work for additional site characterization and management of two stockpiles. ARES will prepare a work plan that proposes a strategy to remove soil from the stockpile in layers to screen and analyze contamination to determine future management options for the soil. Shawn Tisdell
1/12/2024 Update or Other Action Workplan for additional characterization and stockpile sampling was received by the DEC. Characterization of two (2) historic UST excavation areas will be performed to determine the vertical and horizontal extent of petroleum contamination in soil. Characterization of the two (2) associated stockpiles/landfarms will be performed to determine if remediation efforts have been successful, or to provide contaminant concentrations for landfarm planning purposes if soils still exceed ADEC Cleanup levels. Shawn Tisdell
1/30/2024 Site Characterization Workplan Approved Revised UST Excavations and Landfarm Characterization Workplan was received and reviewed on 1/30/2024 and has been approved. Shawn Tisdell
5/30/2024 Update or Other Action Contractor to begin field screening stockpile and excavation pit surfaces today. This will help determine excavation operations. The contractor will notify DEC when schedule updates become available. Shawn Tisdell
9/6/2024 Update or Other Action DEC met with the consultant to discuss management of landfarm plots found to contain chlorinated alkanes including 1,1,2,2 tetrachloroethane, and 1,1,2 trichloroethane, at levels up to 2,2 mg/kg, and 0.8 mg/kg respectively. These levels were below human health levels, but above migration to groundwater cleanup levels. Additional topics of discussion included evaluating degree and extent of contamination in the soil and groundwater and establishing a timeline for these activities. Shawn Tisdell
9/16/2024 Update or Other Action DEC met with the consultant and continued discussion of managing landfarms in place “as is’ for the winter. Access control should be established to prevent clients or snow removal equipment for accessing or disturbing the piles. In the spring the landfarms should be tilled several times and soil amendments and grass seed (possibly endophytes) should be added for phytoremediation of the contaminants. The upgradient well, MW-1 should be sampled this fall season for a full suite of VOCs to identify and potential chlorinated solvents that may be migrating on to the property from upgradient sources. A workplan for well installation should be developed over the winter to determine if contaminants are migrating off site and if so, determine the limits of the plume Shawn Tisdell

Contaminant Information

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Control Type

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Description Details

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State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

P.O. Box 111800
Juneau, AK 99811-1800
Phone: 907-465-5066
Fax: 907-465-5245
TDD: 800-770-8973
Physical Location: 410 Willoughby